UK invests hope in Basra economy
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After handing control of Basra province to Iraqi authorities at the weekend, British officials are hoping the region's economic development will hasten its path towards stability.
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Iraq formally took over security control of the southern oil province of Basra from British forces on Sunday paving the way for Britain to sharply reduce its nearly 5,000-strong troop presence.
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The handover of the oil-rich province of Basra by the British military to Iraqi forces will not diminish Britain's role in Iraq, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Monday.
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Iraq is ready to take over security in the entire southern province of Basra from the British military, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told visiting Defence Secretary Des Browne on Wednesday.
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged Tuesday to keep Britain's Iraq policy in line with that of the United States, seeking to allay fears the country's move out of the southern city of Basra marked the start of a major withdrawal.
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British and Iraqi troops set out Wednesday on an ambitious mission to pacify the southern city of Basra, root out its corrupt police and help the residents rebuild.
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UK forces are to hand back control of security in Basra province to Iraq, four-and-a-half years after the invasion.
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LONDON, Sept. 21 -- The commander of the British army said Friday that the recent withdrawal of British forces from downtown Basra was part of a "successful" strategic plan for Iraq and not the result of pressure from Shiite militias.
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The 850-strong Black Watch battle group is back in Basra ahead of its anticipated return to the UK within days.
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Britain will deploy 360 extra troops to Iraq later this year to reinforce its 7,200-strong force in the restive southern city of Basra, a military spokesman said.
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Britain is considering whether to send &quot;a few extra troops&quot; to Iraq, a day after sporadic clashes in Basra left one British soldier wounded.
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British and Iraqi forces in Basra began Operation Sinbad, a several-month long attempt to restore security and rebuild the troubled southern port city, a British military spokesman said.
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British forces surround Basra and close its border with Iran in support of Iraq's new security plan.
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Britain&#39;s Black Watch regiment, deployed to back up US forces outside Baghdad since the end of October, has returned to its base in Basra in southern Iraq, said a UK defense ministry spokesman.
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British troops in Iraq will be confined to a single base at Basra airport from next month when they hand over their last remaining base in the city to Iraqi forces.
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Britain's weekend handover of Basra province will have a limited effect on security in Iraq's biggest oil region because rival Shiite warlords and local officials have been wielding the real power in the area.
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Britain could transfer control of the southern city of Basra to Iraqi authorities early next year, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said, but aides downplayed prospects of a rapid pullout.