UK pulls out of joint headquarters in Basra

BASRA: Britain withdrew its contingent overnight from a joint headquarters it shared with Iraqi police in Basra as part of plans to pull its troops out of Iraq's second city, the British forces said on Sunday.   

Britain, which has had control of security in Basra since it joined the United States in invading Iraq in 2003, has begun withdrawing this year and is expected to pull its forces out of their last base inside the town in the next week or two.   

The British contingent in Iraq has been reduced from about 7,200 last year to about 5,500 now, even as the United States has sent an additional 30,000 troops. Britain has already withdrawn from two bases inside Basra and now has troops only at one base inside the city, a palace built for Saddam Hussein.   

"There had been a small presence up to now of British forces in the PJCC (Provincial Joint Coordination Centre) for the support and mentoring of Iraqi police," British forces said.   

"Last night these forces were moved from the PJCC in the framework of the plan for the handover of the Basra Palace to Iraqi control, though British forces currently remain at the palace base," the statement said.   

Britain is pulling its forces back to a single base at an airport outside of Basra. It says its troops are no longer required in Basra because the mainly Shi'ite city has not been the scene of sectarian fighting like in Baghdad further north.   

But the drawdown of British troops in the city has seen them coming under increasing attack. Thirty-four British service members have died in Iraq since April, making it the deadliest period since 2003.