British defense secretary: Troops to hand over Basra airport next year

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Britain's defense secretary on Tuesday said he expects British troops to hand over their last major base in Iraq to local forces by the end of next year. If all goes well, the handover of Basra's airport would take place by the end of 2009, John Hutton said. Britain has about 4,000 troops based at the airport on the outskirts of Iraq's second city. Hutton said he is optimistic about the situation in Basra, where security is "significantly better" than in recent years. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he expects Britain to withdraw the majority of its troops from Iraq by mid-2009. Hutton said he expects "very significant decisions about UK force levels" early next year.