Britain Won't cut And Run In Iraq

Britain stands ready to send more troops to Iraq if they are needed, Defence Secretary John Reid has said. John ReidThere are already around 9,000 British soldiers involved in fighting the insurgency in the Gulf States. With thousands of troops set to head for Afghanistan next year there is mounting concern over the extent of Army commitments. Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, head of the armed services from 2001 to 2003, said the forces were constantly being asked to do more with less. "The MoD is strapped for cash," Sir Michael told the Sunday Telegraph. "If we want to remain a global force for good around the world, it seems strange that the Armed Forces are not being properly funded." Secret plans to reduce troop numbers in Iraq have been shelved, the paper reports. A serving brigadier, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the danger of the UK becoming bogged down in its own "Vietnam war" was growing every day. "The return of the 7th Armoured Brigade to Iraq is a significant benchmark," he told the paper. "There is a real head-in-the-sand mentality as to how we're going to extricate ourselves from this mess. There is no end game to the problems in Iraq."