British troops in Basra "compromising security"

[smithie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4323050.stm

Posted separately from other topics on this, because I'd like to find out some views on whether this means we can get the f*** out of there. If the Governor of Basra (is he elected? appointed by the Iraqi government?) believes that the presence of our forces is destabilising the province, what purpose are we serving there?

Seems to me to come pretty close to saying 'We don't want you here' - and doesn't TCB keep saying that we'll stay as long as the Iraqis want us to?

smithie

 

[Plant-Pilot]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4323050.stm

Posted separately from other topics on this, because I'd like to find out some views on whether this means we can get the f*** out of there. If the Governor of Basra (is he elected? appointed by the Iraqi government?) believes that the presence of our forces is destabilising the province, what purpose are we serving there?

Seems to me to come pretty close to saying 'We don't want you here' - and doesn't TCB keep saying that we'll stay as long as the Iraqis want us to?

smithie

Well it doesn't really matter what the boss man in Basrah says when the Top man in Iraq has just been on TV this week in the UK saying very clearly that he wants us there for the time being.

It'd be like changing British foreign policy because the MP for Middlothian thinks it's a good idea.

 

[smithie]

Why not? We change British foreign policy because the MP for Sedgefield thinks it's a good idea...

 

[Fatbadge]

Sedgefield obviously merits more notice than Basrah...

 

[tricam]

Musabah Mohammed al-Waili was elected earlier this year. His Virtue Party is an offshoot of Moqtada Sadr father's party - so hopefully his statement is just local politicking...


Credits to Castlereagh who forwarded me a link to this Washington Post article about him http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57533-2005Apr15.html. I don't know why the BBC call him Mohammed al-Waili yet the Washinton Post call him Musabah Mohammed. Pretty sure its the same guy though - I doubt there are all that many 'Mohammed's in Iraq.

Tricam.

 

[Storeman Norman]

The real name of the guy is 'Fukta Britz'.

Tricam, stop being a knob.