Iraq says ready to take over Basra after UK pullout
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The Iraqi government said on Thursday it was ready to take over security in southern Iraq once Britain withdraws 1,600 troops in the coming months, but insisted that British forces would still be needed for support.
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Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said that British forces could transfer control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to the Iraq government by early next year.
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BASRA, Iraq  - British troops quit the Iraqi city of Basra on Monday, leaving the southern oil hub without British forces for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
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British troops withdraw from Basra Palace, handing control of base to Iraqi forces.
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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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PM to meet US commander to discuss Britain's withdrawal from Basra, according to reports.
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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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British troops moved from Basra on  Wednesday to take over an area near Baghdad in a move that  could set the stage for a U.S. attack on rebel-held Falluja.
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Iraqis welcomed the news Wednesday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair was about to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from the war-torn nation.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair will on Wednesday announce a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq just as thousands of additional U.S. troops are arriving there to try to restore order in Baghdad.
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Britain said Monday it expects to withdraw thousands of its 7,000 military personnel from Iraq by the end of next year, while Poland and Italy announced the impending withdrawal of their remaining troops.Comment
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British troops began withdrawing Sunday from their base inside the southern Iraqi city of Basra &#151; their final position in the country's second-largest city, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
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British troops have begun pulling out of the southern Iraqi city of Basra in a move north to take over operations previously carried out by US forces.
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Iraq formally took 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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Defence secretary confirms planning is under way for UK troops to leave southern Iraqi province.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair will  on Wednesday announce a timetable for the withdrawal of British  troops from Iraq just as thousands of additional U.S. troops  were arriving there to try to restore order in Baghdad.
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Britain expects to be able to withdraw "thousands" of its troops from Iraq by the end of 2007, Britain's Defense Minister Des Browne said on Monday.