Going on ‘tour’ in Baghdad

In her second dispatch from Iraq, Press reporter NICOLA FIFIELD ventures out of the British camp for a spot of sight-seeing.

IT is a war-ravaged city that attracts few foreign visitors aside from high-level politicians, journalists and members of the military.

But standing at the foot of the famous Crossed Swords in central Baghdad, I felt strangely like a tourist. This is the monument that symbolises Saddam Hussein’s horrific dictatorship.

“Bad man,” said one Iraqi soldier to me as I looked up at the giant stone hands of the former Iraqi leader.

Beyond the Crossed Swords, the dusty parade ground – which was once the scene of Saddam’s annual celebrations to mark victory in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s – lies eerily deserted.
Below the monument, dozens of green helmets belonging to dead Iranian soldiers are scattered in the ground. During Saddam’s military marches, these would have been trampled on by Iraqi soldiers as a mark of defiance.

Today, Iranians are helping the Iraqis to get back on their feet and there are plans to dig up these helmets and pull down the infamous swords. A row of half a dozen Iraqi armoured vehicles parked nearby are a reminder that the city has not yet left its troubled past behind.

But the soldiers were full of laughter and, sprawled across the top of their vehicles, you sensed that they weren’t expecting an imminent attack from insurgents.

Admittedly, we were inside the city’s International Zone – a secure area that was returned to the control of Iraqi forces on January 1.

But nonetheless, to be stood in Baghdad wearing no body armour or helmet shows just how far the city has come. Little more than 100 metres away from the Crossed Swords is Iraq’s national memorial – the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.

Nearly one million Iraqi soldiers lost their lives in the Iran-Iraq War – many whose bodies were never identified. In this tomb lies the body of one of these unknown soldiers and the site has become a Mecca for hundreds of families who believe that it might be their son, husband or brother inside.

The impressive structure around the tomb is stooped in symbolism and although nobody is allowed to visit the memorial today without being escorted by an Iraqi soldier, I wasn’t the only one who sensed a fledgling tourist industry.

“We get to see the recognisable sites that most people have grown up seeing on TV and at times I do feel more like a tourist than a soldier,” said Private Glenn Hunter, from Barlby.

“Obviously we train for the worst case scenario, but thankfully we haven’t needed the training.
“It’s good that we can show people around. It proves that the job is nearly done and it’s safe to be here.”

Private Hunter, whose wife Nicola is waiting in Barlby for his safe return, was speaking as he drove me in his armoured car from the British camp to see these sites.

The 30-year-old is part of the One Star protection team that provides secure transport for the British brigadier generals in Baghdad.

“With the International Zone still being closed, there is still a threat here,” he said.
“But the arrival of tourists is not going to be too far away.

“The Turkish airline already flies into Baghdad International Airport and once one flies, the rest will follow.

“Personally, I would like to come back in ten to 15 years time and see how things have moved on.”

Captain Laurence Roche, who works for the 20th Armoured Brigade, to which the Yorkshire Regiment belongs, said he thought the tourist industry would be booming in Iraq within five years.

“It’s a country full of history,” he said. “It has the Garden Of Eden and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

“They say Sinbad The Sailor sailed from Basra and they are looking to build a Sinbad park there to encourage tourists.

“Iraq also has the third oldest mosque in the world and there are some genuine religious pilgrim sites as well.

“I don’t think it’s such a crazy idea that the tourists will come.”

Capt Roche said he believed foreign visitors would also be attracted to Iraq for the very reason it was a war zone.

He said: “There is a whole generation of soldiers who have fought here in the First Gulf War in 1991 and we have returned here since 2003.

“This place will mean something to them. It might not always have been happy memories, but there will be a lot of pride in what they have achieved here and many will want to return with their families to see the country that Iraq has become.

Thousands of people visit the site of the D-Day landings in France and I can see the same happening in Iraq.”

Capt Roche, who lives in Harrogate, will be returning to North Yorkshire later this month during a two-week break from his brigade’s six-month tour in Iraq.

The 32-year-old said he was looking forward to visiting one of York’s most popular tourist attractions – Betty’s tea rooms.

Chemical Ali receives third death sentence - Telegraph

Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as Chemical Ali, has received his third death sentence from a Baghdad court.

Ali Hassan al-Majeed, who earned his nickname for his role in using poison gas to kill thousands of Kurdish villagers in Iraq, was condemned to death for "premeditated killing as a crime against humanity" and displacing civilians in raids on their homes.

The sentence was in connection with the murders and displacement of Iraq's Shia Muslims in 1999.

His previous sentences were for masterminding a genocidal campaign against Kurds in the 1980s and has role in the killing of thousands of Shia Muslims during their uprising after the 1991 Gulf War.

His execution has been held up by political wrangling in Baghdad.

In the latest case, the Iraqi military were ordered into Shia areas, mainly in Baghdad, to prevent demonstrations after the assassination of the revered Shia cleric Mohammed Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr.

Of the 14 defendants, two others were sentenced to death and four were jailed for life, including Abed Hamid Mahmoud, who was Saddam's personal secretary at the time.

The court acquitted Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister, who is also facing another trial for his alleged involvement in executing dozens of merchants accused of breaking state price controls in 1992.

The Iraqi High Tribunal was established after the US invasion in 2003 to try former members of Saddam's government. It is the same court that convicted the late dictator and sentenced him to death.

Iraq eyeing WTO membership for boost to economy

Iraq, whose plans to rebuild after years of war have been undermined by a collapse in oil prices, could get a boost from joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a top official said.

"Iraq has all the components to be able to accede" to the Geneva-based multilateral body, Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany said in a statement after a meeting with U.S. officials in Baghdad.

Violence has dropped sharply in Iraq, but Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is increasingly alarmed about the impact of a drop in oil prices on plans to provide essential services and create jobs.

The price of oil, which accounts for more than 90 percent of government revenues, has fallen by more than $100 from a record $147 per barrel last July.

A steady stream of oil dollars will be key to paying police, paving streets, boosting power supplies -- all crucial to ensuring Iraq does not return to the horrific violence of the years since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

According to the WTO, Iraq applied to WTO membership in 2004, and the last meeting of a working group on joining it was held in April 2008.

To protect and to serve

NICOLA FIFIELD reports from Baghdad in Iraq, where she has joined up with the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment during its last operational tour of the country.

AS our Puma military helicopter flew low over Baghdad, the rear gunner scoured the city through the open side door – ever alert for potential danger.

Our 12km journey took us from Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) inside the city’s insecure Red Zone, to the British base, which lies within the boundaries of the protected International Zone.

Half an hour earlier, I had been strapped into a canvas seat, sandwiched in the middle of a row of soldiers, on a Hercules plane bound for Baghdad.

The city was in darkness when the Hercules landed at about 2am and within minutes, a Puma helicopter had dropped down from the night sky in a cloud of dust to collect us and take us to our final destination.

On arrival at the heavily fortified British camp, we were finally able to remove the body armour and helmets we had been wearing since leaving Kuwait.

For civilians like myself, this body armour weighs at least eight kilos – but this is nothing compared to the 18 kilo kit soldiers have to carry.

The camp, called Albert Lines, is home to the 140 British military personnel serving in Baghdad.
Accommodation here is basic, but comfortable, and there isn’t a vac-packed meal in sight.

The team of six chefs serve up a varied menu in the canteen every day – ranging from steak, sausages and curry to chocolate rice crispy cakes and cheese cake.

The 1st Battalion’s “A Company” has been in Baghdad since last November as part of Operation Telic 13 – the last operational tour of Iraq by British combat troops.

With the majority of British troops in Iraq serving in Basra, the 71 members of A Company are among only a handful of British soldiers to have experienced life in the capital city.

Private Daniel Shewan, from Tadcaster, is one of them and the 20-year-old said he felt proud to be here.

“Not many people can say they’ve been to Baghdad,” he said. “But I’ve got the T-shirt.”
The company’s main role in Baghdad is to protect senior military British representatives – namely Lieutenant General John Cooper, who retires shortly as deputy commander of all coalition forces in the country.

“We are allowing senior British people to engage at a very high level with their contemporaries within the Iraq security forces and the coalition – and that is an important job to be doing,” said Major Phil Bassingham-Searle, officer commanding of A Company.

“They need our support and protection and that is why the company is here.
“We guard the location where the General and his support staff live and we protect him when he goes out and about doing his daily business.

“We are also on show as the only British troops in Baghdad – we are representing the British Army here.”

Running the gauntlet in danger zone
During my first day in Baghdad, I was lucky enough to join a convoy of Vector armoured vehicles as they ventured out into the Red Zone to collect the General from a meeting at BIAP.

“In the past, this route – Route Irish – had a bit of a reputation for being one of the most dangerous in the world in terms of attacks on coalition troops and insurgent attacks on vehicles,” Captain Laurence Roche, from Harrogate, told me.

“But the number of roadside bombs and coordinated attacks from insurgents has died down quite a lot in the past few months.”

As we trundled in convoy down Route Irish, two gunners on top scanned the roadside and nearby roof tops for any signs of roadside bombs or insurgents.

When I had the chance to poke my head out the top of the Vector, I discovered a city that has suffered from years of neglect and bombings.

It is a city overshadowed by wasteland and derelict buildings and the silence was also striking.
The hustle and bustle that characterises most capital cities was unmistakably absent and although Iraqi soldiers could be seen patrolling the route, civilians were few and far between.
Route Irish is the main road from the BIAP to the International Zone and all supplies have to come this way.

Although the security threat has significantly improved in recent months, the American Army still searches the route four times a day looking for roadside bombs.

Acting platoon commander Sergeant Duncan Simms said: “The Iraqi Army and police service have more or less taken over security here and these days the threat is more to them than to the British military.

“But we still have to be professional to do the job we have been brought here to do and we take the risks seriously.”

For me, professional is the very word that sums up all members of the Yorkshire Regiment I have met here in Baghdad – and their families back home in York and other parts of the county should be proud at the crucial role they are playing in getting the city back on its feet.

English National Team To Honour War Heroes

The English international squad are to honour the British servicemen and women that were involved in the Middle-Eastern conflicts as of late.

English football stars such as David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney will join the rest of their international team-mates to show their support for the Armed Forces before their friendly fixture with Slovakia on March 20.

England boss Fabio Capello approved the idea of letting 30 rehabilitating members of the military watch the international squad train at London Colney before heading to the Grove Hotel to enjoy lunch with the players.

This all comes in the wake of Rugby Union's efforts to raise funds for military personnel injured in the line of duty.

Premier League board staff are also eager to back the troops, showing their gratitude by funding an inter-services football tournament in Basra.

"We are liaising with a platoon currently based in Basra about funding a charity football tournament they are playing with teams comprising soldiers from UK battalions, US forces and local Iraqi soldiers," announced a Premier League spokesman.

"We have actually sent out shirts from all 20 Premier League teams – and a signed Michael Carrick Manchester United shirt – for the teams in this charity tournament to wear. The battalion we have been working with have looked to get the UK and US troops to donate money to play in the tournament, with the proceeds going to a soldier rehabilitation charity that they work very closely with.

"It should be a fantastic tournament – imagine the pictures of the UK, US and Iraqi players from all of these different backgrounds coming together to play in Basra, all wearing Premier League kit."

Quick to follow in the footsteps of other major football bodies, the FA also announced their invitation of yet another thirty services personnel to the England vs Slovakia friendly.

At the heart of the initiatives, Wembley itself will also be host to members of the Armed Forces when the Football League play-offs take place in May.

Stephen Crawford, Goal.com

Troops examine Iraq legacy - BBC Radio

As the last Scottish based unit to serve in Basra prepares to pullout, Cameron Buttle looks at what kind of Iraq they are leaving behind.

Click here for the Radio poscast

BBC in Basra - available until 8 March 09

BBC's Paul Adams is with the British Army in Basra. As the troops prepare for the final pull-out later this year, Paul looks at the city they leave behind them and asks how their work in southern Iraq will be judged.

Broadcast on: BBC News Channel, 5:30am Saturday 28th February 2009
Duration: 30 minutes
Available until: 11:59pm Sunday 8th March 2009

Click here to see the programme

Last goodbye - BBC video of 51 Sqn RAF Reg

Click here for the video on the BBC website - The 51 Squadron RAF Regiment come to the end of their final tour of duty in Iraq and prepare to fly home.

Last goodbye for Basra troops - BBC Radio

BBC Scotland's Cameron Buttle reports from Basra as the last Scottish unit to serve in Iraq complete its tour of duty.

Smiles and sunshine as Scots troops come home safe from Iraq - The Scotsman

By JOHN ROSS
SHORTLY after noon they emerged from their plane into the sunshine – and a heroes' welcome featuring massed pipes and drams.

The last Scottish unit to serve in Iraq were back on home soil and ready for an emotional reunion with loved ones.

The 150 members of the RAF 51 Squadron and 2622 (Highland) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, who have spent the past six

months in Basra, were piped off the plane at RAF Lossiemouth, where a small crowd of families had gathered to witness their return.

Also waiting for them was a welcoming array of whisky supplied by a local distillery.

Group Captain Al Monkman, the base commander, paid tribute to the ground troops who were responsible for security at Basra airport and worked on "hearts and minds" operations, building relationships with the Iraqi people.

He said the troops had completed six months of hard work in 50-degree heat. "It's a selfless role they play looking after the lives of people in the base and, most importantly, getting outside the wire, talking to the locals and explaining to them why we are there and what we can do to help the Iraqis."

He said work in the region was paying off and there had "barely been a shot fired in anger" during the tour and no casualties. "Not only have the attacks on the base down there dwindled, but the local elections have had a kick-start," he said.

"There is now a generation of Iraqis for whom British troops is not a dirty word but a team of friendly people who came and helped their own security and left them in a better place.

"If you compare Iraq in 1990 to Iraq in 2009 it's nothing short of a transformation. These guys have added the last bricks to the wall. To leave a country in such good shape is a natural end to a campaign."

Group Capt Monkman said simple things such as a football match between the troops and an Iraqi village team showed the progress made: "Two or three years ago that would never have happened, and it was proof of the goodwill and the improved security situation."

While it is hoped they will not have to return to Iraq, the troops are already planning a return to Afghanistan next summer.

Group Capt Monkman said deploying to two wars has presented troops with a "challenging operational tempo" over the past few years. "Hopefully now we will get back working in a single theatre," he added.

At yesterday's homecoming there was relief from family as well as troops.

For Senior Aircraftsman Alan Wells, 22, it is only the second time he has seen his son Jake, who was born four months ago during a spell of leave. He and his partner, Amanda Orton, now plan to marry later this month.

He said: "It's great to be back and now I plan to spend as much time with Jake as possible."

Democracy is firmly rooted in Iraq - Reuters

British forces will leave Iraq this year with democracy "firmly rooted" and al Qaeda largely thwarted, a senior British army officer said in an interview published on Monday.

Lieutenant General John Cooper, outgoing deputy commanding general of the U.S.-led Multinational Force in Iraq, told the Guardian newspaper that a U.S. troop "surge" in 2007 and this year's provincial elections had been crucial in improving conditions.

The planned withdrawal of Western forces has sparked concerns about a power vacuum and a possible return to violence, six years after U.S. troops led an invasion to topple the government of Saddam Hussein.

"We have got democracy rooted here," Cooper said, "Clearly there is a long way to go to develop things. The provincial elections show that Iraqis have an appetite for it. They were free, fair and credible, and that reflects a desire for change."

The regional elections held on Jan. 31 were Iraq's most peaceful since the invasion, raising hopes that years of sectarian bloodshed and insurgency could be coming to an end.

The British general said support for al Qaeda had withered because insurgents had targeted the people they claimed to represent.

"They have suffered significant reverses and their ability to operate and target civilians has been diminished. Their organisational ability has been greatly reduced."

Britain's 4,100 troops will start pulling out of their base in the southerly oil city of Basra from May 31. The withdrawal will be complete by July 31, although 400 reserves will remain on the ground to help train Iraqi naval forces.

U.S. President Barack Obama said last week he would end U.S. combat operations in Iraq in 18 months' time, but leave as many as 50,000 troops there to provide stability. (Reporting by Matt Falloon; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

British commander says democracy rooted in Iraq

The senior British commander in Iraq said in an interview published Monday that democracy is now rooted in the country and al-Qaeda has largely been defeated there, as Britain prepares to pull out.

Lieutenant-General John Cooper, who stands down Tuesday as deputy commanding general in Iraq, told the Guardian newspaper that British troops will leave a better country when they withdraw by the end of July.

"We have got democracy rooted here," he said from Baghdad.

"Clearly there is a long way to go to develop things. The (January) provincial elections show that Iraqis have an appetite for it. They were free, fair and credible and that reflects a desire for change."

Cooper added: "Al-Qaeda had been here in significant numbers and hopefully their aims and objectives have been denied to them.

"The lesson that I draw from this is that an organisation like al-Qaeda that purports to represent the people and then targets them will never take the people with them."

The general said their organisational ability had been "greatly reduced", their means of communication and their funding disrupted and "effectively the size of their networks has been much reduced."

Cooper said the army's job had not been to resolve all Iraq's problems but set the conditions for change.

"They have a writ of national government, the growth of the internal security services. They have a well-defined legal system, a well-defined and understood legislative system and security structures that have grown," he said.

He also rejected suggestions that British forces would withdraw from their base at Basra airport only to be replaced by US forces.

Britain's role was to train the Iraqi army, and "we have done that", he said, adding: "The Americans are going to be doing something different."

VICTORY IN IRAQ - ALMOST

ARMY top brass last night claimed victory in the Iraq war as hero Brit troops prepare to leave the country.

With almost all Our Boys due home from the war-torn nation by the end of July, most people will be glad to see the back of a campaign which has cost 179 lives.

But despite the controversy over the invasion and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, top UK officers and diplomats reckon the campaign was well worth it.

They say the peace and prosperity brought in the last year to Basra mean a bright future for Iraqis.

Once Iraqi forces had triumphed over the militias then running riot in 2008’s hard-fought Charge Of The Knights campaign, locals said Basra was transformed virtually overnight.

Up to 500 militants were killed and many more wounded in street fights as the Iraqi troops triumphed, backed by UK Challenger 2 tanks, artillery and supplies.

Now British top brass claim Basra is stable, secure and an example to the rest of Iraq.

They likened victory to a last-minute winning goal after a fiercely-contested football match.

Consul-general Nigel Hayward, the Foreign Office’s man in Basra, said: “It is like scoring a late winner but it wasn’t a fluke goal. For the last ten minutes of the match we were well on top.

“The military will move out and can do so knowing they’ve taken the best possible advantage since Charge Of The Knights.

“Some people say it’s a bad war gone good. But even those people have to admit at this stage it looks like we are on course for one of the few stable democracies in the Middle East.” And Mr Hayward is in no doubt who should take the most credit – the UK military and the families who have lost servicemen and women.

He added: “Without the sacrifices made by the 179 families who lost someone, we wouldn’t be in the
position we are in now, which is a very optimistic one for Iraq.

“The families can be proud of what their sons and daughters achieved.”

Lt Col Sadeq Barak, of Iraq’s 50th division, said: “I thank all the British soldiers because they were so helpful in making a democracy here in Iraq and sacrificed their lives for our country.”

Military spokesman Lt Col Dickie Winchester said: “We are in a successful place now. It feels like people are debating the causes of Dunkirk while we are driving to Berlin.”

And Major-General Andy Salmon, in charge of British and US forces in south-east Iraq, said the British public should recognise the job Our Boys have done.

He said: “All our people want is to be recognised for their heroism and for people to say their
sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

“Lots of people weren’t happy with the beginning of this. But we’d say what is important is not how it started, it is how it ends.

“They stuck through all the troubles, seeing their friends being killed, and they are still here.

“They’ve stuck to the task, adapted as they’ve gone along, rolled their sleeves up and got on with it. That’s a heroism and a commitment to the task of the highest order.”

Iraq will be left 'a better place' when army leaves - Telegraph

Democracy is "rooted" in Iraq and reflects a "desire for change", Lieutenant General John Cooper, Britain's deputy commanding general in the country has said, ahead of the British army's pull-out.

Lt Gen Cooper said January's nationwide provincial elections were a turning point in the country.

He was speaking in an interview with the Guardian newspaper ahead of standing down from his post in Iraq and retiring from the army.

He said: "We have got democracy rooted here. Clearly there is a long way to go to develop things.

"The provincial elections show that Iraqis have an appetite for it. They were free fair and credible and that reflects a desire for change."

Lt Gen Cooper was second in command only to US generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno. All three were responsible for the 150,000 coalition troops in Iraq.

He said that the coalition troops had forced al-Qaeda to retreat and diminished their ability to target civilians.

He told the Guardian: "Al-Qaeda had been here in significant numbers and hopefully their aims and objectives have been denied to them.

"The lesson that I draw from this is that an organisation like al-Qaeda that purports to represent the people and then targets them will never take the people with them.

"Their organisational ability has been greatly reduced. Their ability to communicate through the internet has been taken from them and so has their ability to finance themselves. Effectively the size of their networks has been much reduced."

His assessment comes after the Telegraph revealed that Britain will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq at the end of March.

The Foreign Secretary made the admission during a visit to Basra, when he announced that the pull-out would begin on March 31.

The exact date of the start of the withdrawal had remained secret amid fears that the announcement could spark unrest.

Basra prospects brighten as foreign investors line up - Daily Star, Lebanon

This year should be oil-rich Basra's best in decades, with foreign companies queuing up to invest there as long as Iraq's government lets them, the province's reconstruction boss told AFP. The number of firms visiting the southern port city, Iraq's third-largest, is now 20 a month, compared to two in the same period six months ago, said Keith Mackiggan of Britain's Department for International Development.

The victory of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's allies in January's provincial election and the imminent arrival of a new administration in Basra will trigger an upturn in the area's fortunes, he said.

"Our job is going to get much easier in 2009 because it could not get any more difficult after the last local government," said Mackiggan, whose team is based within the sprawling military camp near Basra airport that is home to the British Army and diplomats.

"Maliki will have a say in who runs this place and after stabilizing the security situation he now has the incentive of national elections at the end of the year to deliver. If he doesn't he won't do well at the polls," he said.

Recent international investment visits coordinated by Mackiggan's team have included Schlumberger and Baker Hughes, two of the world's biggest oil and gas infrastructure groups.

Global courier DHL has also been in town, along with hotel operators, steel pipeline production companies and legal firms from Britain.

Having moved to Basra in September, Mackiggan was confronted with "an atmosphere of hopelessness" typified by poor public services and admits he was not optimistic.

Infrastructure is woeful, with few of the city's 1 million residents enjoying clean water, while power cuts are constant and unemployment hovers around 40 percent.

Many areas consist of stench-ridden, sewer-filled canals and vast tracts of rotting rubbish piled waist high along the potholed and dust-filled roads that lead to slums.

Mackiggan's team has helped train 2,700 engineers, planners and finance specialists to fix the problems but has seen local politics stop them from doing their jobs.

The previous provincial government was beset by rivalries among three main Shiite factions - the former rebel Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the smaller but influential Fadhila party and the popular, firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"Programs were not approved because of political reasons," said Mackiggan, describing how 32 signatures needed from warring parties made reaching an agreement impossible. "We called them the government of sidewalks because that is all they had time to change when they realized there was an election coming up."

The prime minister's State of Law coalition, however, secured an absolute majority in Basra in January's polls. With 20 out of 35 seats, it should now be able to push through the funding for key improvements.

"The political log-jam should now be cleared and Maliki has the incentive of the national elections to do that," Mackiggan said.

The improvement in Iraq's security in the past year has made international companies less wary of the country's recent past and more optimistic about its future, sparking investment visits.

Construction projects, religious tourism - from Iran in particular - and greater traffic of goods through the nearby port of Umm Qasr are all factors in securing future economic growth.

"This is an Aladdin's cave and what has been a trickle of visits is going to become a flood," Mackiggan said, acknowledging that companies still have to put their money where their mouth is and that government flexibility is needed.

"Converting investment proposals into contracts is the biggest task. There is some reticence in the national government and that has to be overcome," Mackiggan said.

But the Oil Ministry's announcement on Thursday of a joint venture being signed with a British company to set up a drilling company, Iraq's first such deal, signals that such barriers are starting to come down.

David Miliband Foreign Secretary blogs from Iraq

English at Al-Azhar
Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo sits at the heart of contemporary Sunni theology. I visited this week and heard the story of 1000 years of theological history that embraces Shi'a as well as Sunni teaching. And next to the mosque is a remarkable project run by the British council at Al-Azhar university, one of the oldest universities in the world, and now the proud home of a centre for English teaching.

The students and student teachers talked best. Drawn from five of the 63 faculties of the university, which has 400,000 students at a number of sites around Egypt, they spoke of their eyes being opened to another story of the West than that traditionally pumped out, they spoke of being a voice in their own country for that different image, and they spoke of the "fantastic...better than I could imagine" exchanges in Leeds and Cambridge. This is where the struggle for understanding, respect and coexistance is won. All being well there will be 500 students in the programme from September.
Posted at 14:39 28 February 2009 by David Miliband

Military withdrawal not British withdrawal
Over the next few months British forces will complete their mission in Basra. But British engagement should go up: in business, education and culture this city wants British partnership. We will keep our Consulate here. The Invest Iraq conference will promote business here. Basra has the chance of a better future.
Posted at 22:10 27 February 2009 by David Miliband

Basra Corniche on a Friday afternoon
If you had told me in December 07 when I spent a morning at Basra air base, and couldn't go off base, that 14 months later I would be chatting with Basrawis out with friends and family on the Corniche by the Shatt Al Arab waterway I would not have believed you. Not everyone goes for a walk with an armed escort but the Basrawis told me the same thing one after another: Basra security has been changed fundamentally, the big issue now is unemployment, the future is about Basra being a great city again. Iraqi leadership has been key but so has British military and civilian support. Police chief Adel has been given huge support from a UK police team. He spoke with pride about his force. Clean and efficient police are the difference between a city which functions and one which doesn't.
Posted at 22:09 27 February 2009 by David Miliband

Fundamental change of mission
Baghdad was a good place to mark President Obama's announcements on Iraq troop withdrawal. His announcement follows the same agreed pattern as that adopted by the UK: withdrawal of combat troops to fundamentally change the mission to one of training and mentoring. His announcement combines troop withdrawal with political commitment. I said yesterday in Baghdad that President Obama was proceeding with care and common sense. The commitment until August 2010 allows for critical US support through the National elections early next year. Then Iraqis will have their own future in their own hands.
Posted at 22:06 27 February 2009 by David Miliband

BBC Radio 4 interview with UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband from Iraq

Click the link to hear the Radio 4 podcast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7914000/7914175.stm

Iraqis 'impatient' for handover - BBC

Iraqis are "impatient" to run their own affairs once British and US troops have left the country, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has told the BBC.

On a visit to Iraq, he said 2008 had been a "critical year" for re-establishing security there.

The fact recent provincial elections had passed without incident had given a "new momentum", he added.

UK military operations in Basra are due to end by 31 May. Most US troops are expected to withdraw by August 2010.

US President Barack Obama is due to announce the withdrawal plans later although it is expected that up to 50,000 will remain in Iraq.

'Sustainable' gains
Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme politics in Iraq were now moving "onto a more normal basis" and the government could start concentrating on the economy and public services.

Having spoken to Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders, Mr Miliband said he believed gains made in Iraq were now "more sustainable".

"Every week that goes by I think strengthens Iraqi capacity and every week that goes by strengthens the confidence of the Iraqi people," he said.

He said in Basra, where British troops handed provincial control to the Iraqis in December 2007, politics had "re-emerged" and there had been big economic developments.

On Thursday Mr Miliband announced a £277m ($400m) joint venture involving a UK-based petroleum company drilling for oil in Iraq.

He said it sent a message to British firms Iraq was "open for business".
He said Iraq was rebuilding itself after years of suffering.

But he said the US had "enduring commitment" to improving local security forces after most troops leave.

"I think the Iraqis on the one hand are impatient to run their own affairs, on the other hand they recognise the vital and massive nature of the American contribution, and the help that it can give to them," he told the BBC.

"I think there is a real yearning here for Iraqis to run their own affairs, to make their own mistakes but also to make their own progress.

"What the Iraqis now need to focus on are issues like economics and the electricity supply which are the bread and butter of politics around the world."

UK forces have lost 179 troops since the 2003 invasion and have a 4,100-strong force in the country.

President Obama is due to announce later his plan to withdraw most US troops from Iraq by August 2010.

He is expected to say troop numbers will be reduced from the current 142,000 to about 50,000.

Iraq offers new lessons in counter-insurgency

British counter-insurgency doctrine, honed in Malaya, Aden, Oman and Northern Ireland, used to be regarded as the blueprint for other Western armies. But the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan and the rapidly evolving methods adopted by the Americans in particular have forced the British Army to reappraise its approach to guerrilla warfare.

Senior officers based at the Defence Concepts and Doctrine Centre at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire are poring over the lessons learnt from Operation Telic in Iraq, soon to be wound up, and Operation Herrick in Afghanistan which still has a long way to go.

In many ways, the fundamental framework for counter-insurgency campaigns remains as valid today as it was in Malaya and Northern Ireland. The principles of counter-insurgency were outlined by Lieutenant-General John Cooper, the outgoing British Deputy Commanding General Multinational Force Iraq in an interview with The Times in Baghdad last week: “You need a political not a military solution, the consent of the people, a long-term solution that’s sustainable, a neutralised enemy, achieved either kinetically or non-kinetically, and top-quality intelligence.

“The difference between Malaya and Iraq, however, is that Malaya was a classic counter-insurgency campaign but on a small scale, whereas Iraq has been a classic counter-insurgency campaign on a grand scale,” General Cooper said.

Afghanistan is proving to be in the same league, and while the two campaigns are very different in terms of security conditions and terrain, one of the abiding lessons from each is that to win the support of the local people it is imperative to provide visible signs as quickly as practicable of improving conditions, whether it be an increasingly available supply of electricity and clean water, or new roads, schools and health clinics.

Above all, of course, is the need to ensure the safety of the people, to protect them from the worst excesses of the insurgents and to separate them as far as possible from the violence and mayhem which are an inevitable consequence when foreign armies occupy a nation to subdue or eliminate the cause of the insurgency.

General David Petraeus, the former commander of the multinational force in Iraq and now head of US Central Command, placed this principle at the heart of his campaign after the surge of 30,000 extra US troops into Baghdad and Anbar. “If you bring the people with you, insurgencies can’t survive,” General Cooper said.

Al-Qaeda proved this point. The terrorist organisation applied the reverse principle. Instead of wooing the locals they committed atrocities to try to terrify the inhabitants into submission. The Taleban with their foreign fighters are doing the same in southern Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda’s approach failed but only after General Petraeus had poured his troops into the most unstable neighbourhoods and made them live among the people to demonstrate that they were their protectors.

The British in southern Iraq never had the troop numbers to live permanently among the people and when they moved out of Basra in September 2007 and took up residence at the airport base northwest of the city, they not only lost situational awareness but they left the inhabitants to the mercy of the Shia militants who were trying, despite the best efforts of the British-trained Iraqi Army 10th Division, to control the streets, with much of the corrupt police force on their side.

It took thousands of troops from Iraq’s 1st Division from Baghdad, linking up with the 14th Division which had replaced the 10th in Basra — a total of 27,000 soldiers — backed by 900 American minders, to seize back the city from the militia in Operation Charge of the Knights nearly a year ago. Since then, 850 British troops have returned to Basra and are embedded with Iraqi 14th Division units, mentoring their patrols and checkpoints before Operation Telic comes to an end on May 31.

Operation Charge of the Knights, an Iraqi government-inspired mission, succeeded because it had the full support of the citizens of Basra, and while the British contribution was limited, the overall impact on the city has been dramatic. So, not exactly a battle honour for the British Army, but a resounding success for the counter-insurgency principle of protecting the people from violence.

With the militia gone, Major-General Andy Salmon, in command down south, has begun implementing a programme in Basra which he hopes will improve the average Iraqi’s life in the city. General Salmon, commander of Multinational Division Southeast, has formed joint reconstruction action teams to clear the city of rubbish and focus on delivering essential services — electricity, water and a proper sewerage system. It took him four months to find an Iraqi engineer who knew about the water system at the Shia flats in Hayania, the worst slum area in the south of the city.

The Royal Marine general has succeeded in energising the members of the Basra provincial council to spend time and money on sprucing up the city. He and the quiet behind-the-scenes diplomacy of Nigel Hawyard, the Consul General, and the British Provincial Reconstruction Team, led by Keith Mackiggan, who have been able to get out and about in Basra far more since Charge of the Knights, are helping to give the people of this city renewed hope for the future.

August 31, 2010: Obama names the day for Iraq war to end but up to 50,000 U.S. soldiers to stay - Daily Mail

President Obama has announced that the war in Iraq would end in 18 months.

Formally announcing a withdrawal date for most U.S. troops he said: ‘Let me say this as plainly as I can, by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.’

He added: ‘We cannot sustain indefinitely a combat that is putting a strain on the American military and has cost nearly a trillion dollars.’

The confirmation of his election campaign pledge to draw the conflict to a close came as Britain’s Foreign Secretary claimed the Iraqis were ‘impatient’ to take control over their own affairs.

While visiting British troops in Basra yesterday, David Miliband said conditions in Iraq are improving every week and the country is ‘yearning’ to make its way after almost six years of occupation.

But while just a few hundred UK troops will remain after Britain pulls out of Iraq for good in July, Mr Obama was criticised by leaders in his Democrat party last night for planning to leave a U.S. force of between 30,000 and 50,000 in the country until the end of 2011.

The President said the troops were needed to train and equip the Iraqi army, protect civilian reconstruction projects and conduct limited counterterrorism operations.

Republicans in Congress also complained that pulling out troops too fast could sacrifice security gains.

The President said Iraq had weathered ‘horrific’ sectarian killings in 2006 and 2007 but that violence had now been substantially reduced, while the capabilities of its security forces, rebuilt after the U.S.-led invasion, had improved.

But he warned: ‘Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult days ahead. Violencewill continue to be a part of life in Iraq.'

‘Too many fundamental political questions about Iraq’s future remain unresolved.’
The announcement came just hours after it was confirmed a ban on photographing soldiers' flag-draped coffins on their return to the States would be lifted.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to allow photos of caskets at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, if the families of the fallen troops agree.

The current ban was put in place nearly 20 years ago by President George H.W. Bush to prevent widespread negative publicity of bodies being brought back from the first Gulf War.