Britain delays troop withdrawal as Iraqi death toll soars by 50%

Much of the increase in deaths was the result of government forces’ fighting Shiite militiamen in Basra.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Britain froze plans Tuesday to withdraw about 1,500 soldiers this spring after the faltering effort to drive Shiite militias from Basra raised doubts whether the Iraqis are capable of maintaining security in oil-rich southern Iraq.

The British decision was announced in London one week before the top U.S. commander in Iraq appears before Congress to offer his recommendation on how fast America should draw down its own forces.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday in Copenhagen, Denmark that last week’s violence in Shiite areas had not changed American plans to withdraw more combat forces by July.

But second thoughts about Iraqi security capabilities emerged as Iraq’s government reported a 50 percent rise in the number of people killed in March over the previous month.

Much of the increase was a result of the fighting between Iraqi government forces and Shiite militiamen in the southern city of Basra. The conflict quickly spread, engulfing Baghdad and major cities throughout the Shiite south.

Britain had planned to draw down its 4,000-strong military force in southern Iraq to 2,500 over the next few months, handing over more security responsibility to the Iraqis.

In the wake of the Basra fighting, however, Defense Secretary Des Browne told the House of Commons that “it is prudent that we pause any further reductions while the current situation is unfolding.”

“At this stage we intend to keep our forces at their current levels of around 4,000 as we work with our coalition partners and with the Iraqis to assess future requirements,” Browne said, promising to update lawmakers later this month.

Browne offered no criticism of the Iraqi effort in Basra, launched March 25 to regain control of the country’s second-largest city from Shiite militias and criminal gangs that have effectively ruled the streets for nearly three years.

The operation faltered in the face of fierce resistance from the Mahdi Army of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, forcing the Iraqi military to turn to U.S. jets and British tanks and artillery to try to dislodge the gunmen from their strongholds.

Britain’s opposition Conservative party defense spokesman, Liam Fox, complained that the Iraqis had not fully consulted their coalition partners before launching the operation.

Fox said it was “not acceptable for us to end up mopping up if we don’t have a say in what operations are being carried out and how they are being carried out.”

“It appears that our commanders had just 48 hours’ notice and they yet had to deploy more than one battle group with tanks, armored vehicles and artillery,” Fox told the Commons. “Is this an acceptable model for the future?”

A British Foreign Office spokesman called Fox’s 48-hour claim “nonsense” and said U.S. and British commanders had been consulted. The spokesman made the comment on condition of anonymity under Foreign Office rules.

Nonetheless, Iraqi officials have acknowledged they underestimated the fury of the militia resistance, which included rocket and mortar attacks against the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad and armed assaults against government and political party offices throughout the south.