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Length: 3:59
TONY HARRIS: CNN's Michael Ware is on the line with
us right now. He's embedded with British troops in
Basra. Never know, when one of our reporters is in an
embed, when we'll get an opportunity to talk to them.
Michael is on the line right now. We want to take
that opportunity.
Michael, good to talk to you.
I want to come to you with the story that's in the
news today, Britain's army chief talking about the
Iraq war. At one point, the story was, is that he was
suggesting that it was time to get out of Iraq or
risk catastrophic consequences, and then there was a
different story, some backtracking, it seems. But
what I'm asking you is, is what is reflected in these
statements back and forth about the frustration
that's being felt, perhaps, by these soldiers on the
ground?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the comments
that we've heard from General Sir Richard Dannatt, to
a large degree, reflect the views of commanders here
on the ground. Indeed, just days before the general
made this statement, a British commander in the field
on the Iranian border said precisely the same thing,
that the presence of his troops in the area where he
operated had led to increased attacks, so he shifted
his troops.
So there is a great debate right now within British
forces about this very thing, and I think the general
is very much reflecting the views of his troops and
the commanders on the ground. What the Brits are
looking to do is find the right balance between
staying here and contributing to the security
environment, and overstaying and leading to the
deterioration of the security environment.
HARRIS: And, Michael, you're in Basra now, in the
Basra area. When we think about the English troops
there and the British troop there in Basra, that is
an area we think of as being relatively safe,
certainly when compared to the situation in Baghdad.
But give us a sense of what the situation is like in
and around Basra.
WARE: Well, Basra still remains a hostile environment
for British troops. It's not simple or an easy thing
for them to do to move about this city or its
surrounds. Indeed, there's daily indirect fire or
mortar or rocket attacks. There are small arms
attacks.
Indeed, our cameraman this afternoon was on a patrol
where a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at his
vehicle. So this is in no means a simple environment
for British troops to operate in. It's very, very
complex, and very much dominated by the Shia
militias, which U.S. and British intelligence suggest
have, to varying degrees, support from neighboring
Iran.
HARRIS: And, Michael one last question, when you talk
to these commanders, how do they describe the
mission?
WARE: Their mission is one of nation-building.
They're trying to get the Iraqis to lead themselves,
to stand up and find their own solutions. So they're
trying to build the Iraqi security forces and they're
trying to build local governments here in southern
Iraq. The problem is, the militias and the Islamic
parties that represent them. According to locals and
according to many intelligence officials, the
government and many of these security forces are
heavily penetrated by or dominated by some of these
militias.
So it's a very, very complex environment. The Brits
are trying to stand up a government, but they can't
necessarily rely on the members of these governments
to actually be their allies and true partners.
HARRIS: CNN's Michael Ware, embedded with British
troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
Michael, thank you.