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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
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UK troop withdrawal from Basra 'delayed by US pressure'
'Britain's withdrawal of its troops from Basra was delayed by five months because of political pressure from the United States for them to stay, according to the UK's military leader in Iraq. Brigadier James Bashall, the commander of 1 Mechanised Brigade, said that quitting the city in April would have been "the right thing to do". The past few months have seen UK troops based at Basra Palace come under sustained attack, with more than 1,500 mortar rounds fired at the base - Britain's last stronghold in Iraq's second city - killing 11 soldiers killed and wounding 62.'
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