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US requests British troops for Baghdad

Will they or won't they?


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Advertisement

Hoon paves the way for redeployment
Iraq



Published: 18-Oct-2004
By: Gary Gibbon



America has asked for a batallion of British troops to be re-deployed in Iraq. But, the Defence secretary Geoff Hoon told the Commons, Britain hasn't yet agreed.






However, in an unscripted moment, Mr Hoon said if the Black Watch regiment wasn't sent to free up US forces for an offensive on Fallujah, Britain would be 'failing in its duty as an ally'.



So has a decision already been taken - with an announcement just a formality?



Perhaps that was the reason for the distinct lack of enthusiasm on the Labour benches.



Fallujah was recovering from another overnight assault by US forces today.



The United States says it is attacking insurgents in the town - locals claim it indiscriminately bombing civilian areas.



The US wants to take the town soon with ground troops and wants British troops to stand in for US troops elsewhere in the US zone.





"The US request is for a limited number of UK ground forces to be made available to relieve US forces to allow them in turn to participate in further operations elsewhere in Iraq to maintain the continuing pressure on terrorists”


Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary





The Defence Secretary came to the Commons to try to sell the idea but he was attacked from all sides.



Why, MP's wondered, would the US, with nearly 140,000 troops of its own in Iraq - wants to draw on Britain's 9000 troops based in the southern sector, including Basra?



Britain is now considering whether to send 650 soldiers from the back-up reserve force on the ground - a battalion of the Black Watch regiment - into the US sector, probably to the town of Iskandariya just south of Baghdad.



MP's from all parties attacked the plan - many claimed it looked like a stunt to boost George Bush ahead of next month's Presidential election.





"If it is to be done before, then it is political. It is handing out an oxygen cylinder to President Bush who was not elected properly the first time, giving him a lifeline in order to win again. I and many others do not take kindly to the idea that we are being engaged with President Bush and the Pentagon in order to bail them out."


Dennis Skinner MP (Lab - Bolsover)





17 of the 18 Labour MP's who spoke were critical.



And the atmosphere turned even more hostile after the Defence Secretary, replying to a Liberal Democrat, sounded like he'd already agreed to the US troop request.



An aide said the Defence Secretary mis-spoke – “we would be failing the US if we denied them troops even though our own Generals had okayed the decision”.



Labour MP's pleaded with the government to pull back.





"There has not been one member of the Parliamentary Labour Party who has supported this deployment. Many of us find it incredible that the United States of America cannot find the logistic support and the infantry to fill this

gap"


Andrew McKinley MP (Lab - Thurrock)





But the Defence Secretary said the Commons would not get the chance to vote on this redeployment.



The army will report later this week whether it can spare the Americans the Black Watch battalion.



If the generals say "yes”, the Defence Secretary is clearly determined to give the go-ahead.



British soldiers, already on standby, could be moving to a more dangerous address by the end of the week.


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