Britain's military planners are drawing up contingency plans to send up to 1700 extra troops to Iraq in response to the escalating violence.
Senior defence sources have told the Independent that lead elements could be flown out at very short notice if there are more bombings such as the ones that
killed 68 people, including 17 children, in the south of the country on Wednesday.
Talks with the Americans are said to be at an advanced stage over the reinforcements. Any further deployment will not be concentrated purely in Basra, but outlying areas in which have seen an increasing spate of attacks on British troops, and are also the routes through which insurgents from central Iraq are believed to be coming into the British run sector to carry out attacks.
Senior Pentagon officials have told the Washington Post newspaper that Britain may provide a new headquarters unit to replace the 1300 Spanish troops who are due to begin their withdrawal in the next 10 days.
Following the Spanish decision, Honduras has said it will withdraw its complement of 370 soldiers, and the Dominican Republic will withdraw 300.
At present there are 7500 British service personnel in Iraq, with an additional 1100 in surrounding countries. The plan has been to steadily reduce the numbers in the coming months.
George W Bush and Tony Blair have both endorsed a United Nations blueprint for the future of Iraq which could lead to other countries like India, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia contributing troops to Iraq.
However, United States and British commanders have warned that they expect a increase in violence in the run up to the planned handover of political power to Iraqis after 30th June.
- INDEPENDENT
