British turn Basra Province over to Iraq today
While America speculates about what might happen in Iraq if it withdraws its troops, Britain today is relinquishing control of Basra Province to the Iraqis. Britain has had charge of the province since the American-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Britain began its withdrawal three months ago when it pulled out of the city of Basra. It did so with the recognition that the patrols of its uniformed troops as an occupying force provoked violence against them. The withdrawal of British troops from the city was followed by a marked decrease in the violence.
Basra is the key to economic independence for Iraq. Ninety percent of the country's wealth comes from the oil revenues. Basra is central to the oil industry in Iraq and Basra city is the country's only deep sea port from which oil is exported.
Basra is the ninth province in Iraq to be returned to Iraqi control. The British plan to reduce the level of their presence in Iraq to 2,500 troops by spring.
2 comments:
Consider the following from, "Churchill's Folly" as Churchill ordered and the Royal Air Force used WMD's of the day on Iraqi civilians and towns, and Churchill's prediction of the result:
" I think you should certainly proceed with the experimental work on gas bombs, especially mustard gas, which would inflict punishment on recalcitrant natives without inflicting inflicting grave injury upon them" Winston S. Churchill in a letter advocating use of weapons of mass destruction on Iraqis to Sir Hugh Trenchard, Royal Air Force, 29 August 1920.
"I am deeply concerned about Iraq. The task you have given me is becoming really impossible. . . . Feisal is playing the fool, if not the knave; his incompetent Arab officials are disturbing some of the provinces and failing to collect the revenue; we overpaid £200,000 on last year's account which it is almost certain Iraq will not be able to pay this year . . . Moreover in my heart I do not see what we are getting out of it. . . . At present we are paying eight millions a year for the privilege of living on an ungrateful volcano out of which we are in no circumstances to get anything worth having." Winston S. Churchill, 1 September, 1922
And he also was one who repeated that old adage that those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it.
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