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Article: Britain to hand back control of Basra
- Article from:
- Yorkshire Post
- Article date:
- December 10, 2007
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown flew into Basra last night for a
surprise visit to British troops - and announced the province is to
be handed over to Iraqi control within two weeks.
Mr Brown broke the news as he addressed the gathering of
servicemen and women at Basra air station, having just completed
telephone talks with Iraqi Premier Nouri Maliki.
The announcement paves the way for the remaining 4,500 troops to
focus on training local forces, before UK numbers dwindle to 2,500
from the spring.
Earlier, Mr Brown had also delivered a tough message to the
captors of five Britons being held hostage in Iraq, demanding their