在线国产一区二区_成人黄色片在线观看_国产成人免费_日韩精品免费在线视频_亚洲精品美女久久_欧美一级免费在线观看

  Home>News Center>World
         
 

UK troops set to stay in Iraq until 2006
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-24 08:39

British forces will likely be needed in Iraq until at least 2006, an influential parliamentary committee said on Thursday in a report that pointed to a series of post-war "mistakes and misjudgments."

The report, which accuses London and Washington of failing to plan for the insurgency, drags the conflict back into the headlines just weeks ahead of an expected May election in which Iraq could prove Prime Minister Tony Blair's Achilles heel.

British forces will likely be needed in Iraq until at least 2006, an influential parliamentary committee said on March 24, 2005 in a report that pointed to a series of post-war 'mistakes and misjudgments.' British soldiers stand in formation in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa March 7. [Reuters/file]
British forces will likely be needed in Iraq until at least 2006, an influential parliamentary committee said on March 24, 2005 in a report that pointed to a series of post-war 'mistakes and misjudgments.' British soldiers stand in formation in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa March 7. [Reuters/file]
Blair is on track to win, but voter anger over the war could erode his huge parliamentary majority.

Blair has come under pressure from the public and members of his Labour Party to set a date for the return of British troops but he has refused to do so, saying British soldiers will stay until Iraqi forces are capable of managing security.

"In light of the state of the insurgency and the condition of the Iraqi security forces ... it seems likely that British forces will be present in Iraq in broadly similar numbers to the current deployment into 2006," the cross-party Defense Committee said in its report.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives at the European Council building on the second day of an EU heads of State summit in Brussels, March 23, 2005. [Reuters]
British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives at the European Council building on the second day of an EU heads of State summit in Brussels, March 23, 2005. [Reuters]
Britain has the second largest contingent in Iraq with some 8,600 troops. The United States has about 150,000 troops there.

The committee said progress in Iraq, in many respects, had been "impressive" but it said London and Washington had underestimated the insurgency and neglected Iraq's borders with Syria and Iran, facilitating an influx of foreign fighters.

"The coalition had not planned adequately to deal with a post-conflict insurgency," the report said.

AMMUNITION FOR OPPONENTS

Its conclusions gave fresh ammunition to Blair's opponents who say short-sightedness by London and Washington put the lives of troops and Iraqis in danger.

"We consistently warned the Government about the dangerous lack of a coherent plan for post conflict Iraq," said Conservative Party defense spokesman Nicholas Soames.

"This serious failure clearly set the reconstruction of Iraq back by at least a year and resulted in further suffering for the people of Iraq," he added.

In response to the report, a spokeswoman for Blair said troop levels were kept under constant review, adding: "We've made it clear our troop level will remain at the level it is until we hope the Iraqi forces can take over."

Tens of thousands of people marched through London last weekend, on the second anniversary of the U.S.-led war, calling on Blair to bring the troops home.

Italy, Ukraine, Poland and Bulgaria have all signaled they were eager to scale down their presence in Iraq.

The parliamentarians praised the "approach" of British forces in southern Iraq but criticized Britain and the United States for failing to reform Iraq's police service and army, hampering efforts to quell insurgents.

"The coalition's early efforts at security sector reform -- particularly in the civil policing area -- were characterized by short-termism and indecision," the lawmakers concluded. "Only belatedly did the coalition begin building the Iraqi security forces ... Even then a bottom-up, numerically-focused approach meant the Iraqi military, security and police did not develop in a well-coordinated manner," the report said.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

'Three-good' student system under revision

 

   
 

Japan's bid for UNSC seat opposed

 

   
 

Beijing unveils security plan for Olympics

 

   
 

Hu: Nation willing to restart nuke talks

 

   
 

EU official calls China embargo 'unfair'

 

   
 

Watchdog investigates baby oil fears

 

   
  Iran says won't drop nuke plans
   
  Kyrgyz leader sacks interior minister, prosecutor
   
  Putin to visit Israel - a first for Russia
   
  Schiavo's parents file new appeal
   
  EU ministers seen moving to back Wolfowitz
   
  Baghdad shopkeepers kill three militants
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Blair puts British government on war footing
   
Blair suffers pre-election revolt over terror laws
   
'Baby lips' Blair earns admirer's kiss
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 欧美啪啪网 | 欧美在线一区二区三区 | 青青草网站 | 五月天婷婷网站 | 天天综合网站 | 日韩精品 | 久久久国 | 三级av片| aaa级片 | 成人欧美一区二区三区黑人孕妇 | 激情五月综合色婷婷一区二区 | 亚洲精品乱码久久久久久蜜桃91 | 亚洲视频一区二区三区四区 | 精品伊人| 国产一区在线视频 | 国产精品一 | 中文字幕免费观看视频 | 中文字幕不卡在线观看 | 国产三级在线 | 国产精品理论片 | 九九99久久 | 国产福利在线观看 | 亚洲欧美日韩一区 | 久久精品一区二区国产 | 亚洲欧美成人 | 欧美色综合网 | 日韩黄色在线观看 | 日本免费一级片 | 日韩免费视频一区二区 | 久久成人精品 | 亚洲成人av在线播放 | 亚洲天堂一区二区三区 | 日韩欧美一区二区在线 | 在线观看日韩精品 | 久久天天 | 丁香婷婷网| 国产无精乱码一区二区三区 | 91成人精品一区在线播放 | 成年人视频免费看 | 欧美jizz19性欧美 | 日本成人免费网站 |