Basra After the British - TIME
Even as Capitol Hill braces to debate the impact of the U.S. troop surge in Baghdad, the 5,500 British troops stationed in Basra appear to be on their way out. They're already implementing a plan to withdraw their bases from Iraq's second city, consolidating their forces at a single base near the airport pending the hand-over to Iraqi forces scheduled in the fall. But the impending departure of the British on terms less than favorable to their goal of stabilizing Iraq is being seized on by radical Shi'ite militias as a propaganda opportunity. They're escalating their attacks on British forces in order to create the impression that the Brits are retreating under fire, and radical Shi'ite leader Moqtada Sadr has publicly sought to take credit for hounding the occupiers out of Basra.