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Length: 2:56
BETTY NGUYEN: Now to Basra. Shiite leaders and
British Army chief General Dannatt are in agreement;
the presence of British soldiers in Iraq seem to
incite even more bloodshed. During an interview with
ITN, Dannatt discussed withdrawing British troops.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RICHARD DANNATT, BRITISH ARMY CHIEF: We don't
want to be there forever. We have been there for
three and a half years; three and a half years ago we
had some 20-30,000 soldiers there. We're now down to
7,500. Indeed, in southeast Iraq, which the British
are responsible for, there are four provinces. We've
already had handed two of those provinces over to
Iraqi control, and the third province we're well on
the way to. So we're going in the right direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So while British soldiers are praised for
their so-called gentler approach to the policing the
region, Shiites insists their presence creates
targets for attackers.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Basra with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From here on the
ground in southern Iraq, it seems that General
Dannatt is not alone in his concerns. There is a
belief among some British officers that the mere
presence of British troops is inciting attacks.
In Maysan Province, where much British blood has been
spilled and where six Royal Military police officers
were executed by a Shia militia in 2003, a British
battle group was garrisoned in the main town. Over
five months, the camp was hit by 281 mortars,
prompting the battle group commander to empty the
garrison and disperse his forces into the desert. Now
speaking days before General Dannatt went public with
his concerns, the battle group commander said that
one of the major reasons behind his decision to empty
the garrison was that the base had become a magnet
for attacks.
LT. COL. SIMON BROWNE, BRITISH ARMY: I agree with
what the chief of general staff has said this
morning, that if we were to withdraw and put a
completely Iraqi face on the security situation
around here, I'm sure that things -- the ingredients
are there for the situation to improve.
WARE: So it seems that General Dannatt is reflecting
the concerns of some of his commanders here on the
ground. Indeed, senior British diplomats here in
Basra highlighted the fact that political factions in
the southern part of the country gain traction and
credibility on the street for strikes against British
forces.
While no one here is suggesting that it is time for a
withdrawal immediately, there are indications from
military and diplomatic officers that that time for
departure may be coming sooner than many people
think. Michael Ware, CNN, Basra.