Britain likely to hand over Basra in '07 ("making good progress")

[Barrett808]

Britain likely to hand over Basra in '07
By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press Writer

LONDON - Britain is likely to hand over control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to local security forces early next year, Britain's top military official said Wednesday.

Sir Jock Stirrup, chief of Britain's defense staff, said coalition forces were making good progress in stabilizing the region — despite the death of a British soldier in the city Tuesday and concerns security has worsened since the 2003 invasion.

"We are now on a good path to hand over provincial control of Basra some time in the first part of next year," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "But these are difficult issues we are grappling with, and I can't forecast what will happen over the next several months."

"This is a dynamic situation and we have to be able to react to any changes that occur," he said. "At the moment, we are making good progress."

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060802/ap_on_re_eu/britain_iraq

[Drum]

1. First Iraqi city to be "handed over"

to Iraqi forces sounds like a real game of "Hot Potato." Wouldn't this create some sort of (small) vacuum effect? Just wondering about the wisdom of handing over one city or region while others lag so far behind with the stability issues (a.k.a. murders and massacres daily. Will they celebrate a holiday thereafter, Handover perhaps?

(a propos nothing: Sir Jock Stirrup LOL!)

[Greeby]

2. "Sir Jock Stirrup" is my uncle

I shit you not. His real first name is Graham, but he's been know as "Jock" in the media for ages. :eyes:

[gratuitous]

3. Oh come on, who's next? General Jack T. Ripper?

Damn, the Brits are a humorous bunch. The funniest military names Yanks can come up with are Private Parts, Corporal Punishment, Major Disaster and General Chaos. Oh, and President Bush, although that one hasn't been quite so funny of late, what with all the bodies hitting the ground and stuff.