Britain may hand Basra to Iraqis soon, but no rapid pullout
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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.
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Basra, Iraq -- The British military says its troops have begun heading north to Baghdad from their base in southern Iraq. Large flatbed trucks can be seen carrying armored British vehicles up a road through Iraq&#39;s southern desert.
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London - Britain agreed on Thursday to meet a United States request and redeploy a battalion of British troops into volatile central Iraq, despite strong opposition within the governing Labour Party.
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Britain is likely to agree to a US request to move its troops into more restive areas of Iraq and will only refuse if British generals advise otherwise, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says.
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There may be some movement in the case of British hostage Ken Bigley, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
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Britain expects an announcement to be made on the handover of security control of the Iraqi province of Dhi Qar &quot;imminently&quot;, the ministry of defence has told AFP.
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WASHINGTON - As British troops pull out of their last base in Basra, some military commanders and civilian government officials in the area are concerned that the transition could leave them and a major supply route to Baghdad at greater risk of attack.
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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 Prime Minister Tony Blair is  expected to announce on Wednesday that British troops will  start to withdraw from Iraq within weeks, British media said.
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Britain is urging the United States to announce a possible timetable for the withdrawal of the countries' troops from Iraq.
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Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today suggested that sending British troops to relieve American forces outside Baghdad could ultimately speed up Britain&#39;s withdrawal from Iraq, as it may increase the chance of elections being held on time.
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The withdrawal of British troops from Basra was delayed due to US pressure, a UK commander in Iraq claims.
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Britain, America's most important ally in Iraq, will withdraw close to half its troops by the end of the year if local troops are able to secure the southern part of the country, Prime Minister Tony Blair was expected to announce Wednesday.
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LONDON - Britain may move some soldiers around inside Iraq, the UK defence minister said Monday, but denied the redeployment to more dangerous areas would be a show of support for US President George W. Bush.
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British troops today handed over responsibilty for security in the southern Iraqi province of Basra, a major landmark in the scaling-back of the foreign military presence nearly five years on from the U.S.-led invasion. "As you step up, we step back," British commander, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns, told Iraqi leaders.
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British forces release two dozen Iraqi prisoners, though UK government denies doing deal with Mahdi army to stave off last-minute attacks in run-up to withdrawal from Basra.
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A reconnaissance team has studied the prospects for British troops moving north from their relatively calm base. Until now, the British were concentrated in Basra.