Iraq: 14 Brits killed since beginning of June

Since the beginning of June, 13* British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, fuelling fears that conditions are becoming more dangerous as the number of troops falls. Des Browne, the Secretary of State for Defence, announced last week that the British force would be cut by a further 500, but any further withdrawals below 5,000 would leave the remaining troops incapable of defending themselves, say military experts.

British commanders, who complain that the Afghanistan and Iraq missions are "overstretching" the Army, would like to close the airport base by the end of the year and pull out all but 1,500 troops, who would carry out training duties at a safe distance from insurgent-held areas. But the authoritative Jane's Defence Weekly reported last week that the British contingent would remain at 5,000 until the end of 2008, with 4 Mechanised Brigade having already been selected for deployment next year. Read more

*British Soldier Killed In Iraq