Denmark follows UK Iraq pullout

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, announced on Wednesday that troops numbers in southern Iraq would be cut by 1,600 to 5,500 in "the coming months.

About 450 Danish troops are stationed in southern Iraq under British command.

They will be replaced by a unit of nine soldiers manning four observational helicopters, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, said on Wednesday.

Currently Britain has about 7,100 troops stationed in around Basra.

The British force is the second-largest foreign contingent of soldiers after that of the United States, which has more than 140,000 troops in Iraq.

'Grateful'

Josh Rushing, Al Jazeera's military analyst, said the British move could cause problems for the Bush administration which is trying to argue for an escalation in US troops in Iraq when its main ally seems to be pulling out.

He said on Tuesday that an announcement of a troop withdrawal by Blair would make the argument in Washington for what is being called a "troop surge" much more difficult to maintain.

"What was once called the coalition of the willing, was really just the US and Britain – and now Britain seem to be pulling out," he said.

Washington is planning to send some extra 21,000 troops into Iraq in addition to the 138,000 already there, in a last-ditch effort to restore security in the country.

Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Bush's administration's National Security Council, however played down British plans, saying that Blair had informed Bush of his plans to withdraw troops on Tuesday morning.

Basra conditions 'improved'

He suggested that Blair's move was a signal of increasing stability in Iraq.

"President Bush sees this as a sign of success and what is possible for us once we help the Iraqis deal with the sectarian violence in Baghdad," Johndroe said.

More
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DDFB00C5-5399-4FFF-B7A0-05924375B259.htm