More Calls For Troop Withdrawal After Eleven British Deaths In Iraq This Month...

The Independent Ian Herbert And Ben Russell May 31, 2006 at 12:48 AM
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If proof were really needed of the bloodbath that Iraq has come to represent for occupying British forces, then May 2006 has delivered it. The month which ends today has been the bloodiest for Britain since Iraq was occupied three years ago, leaving 11 Britons dead, many injured and the calls for withdrawal more urgent than ever before.

As the Defence Secretary, Des Browne, admitted yesterday that the "spike " in insurgent violence was a source of "major concern," two former defence ministers warned that withdrawal was imperative amid the signs of deepening chaos. Doug Henderson, a former defence and foreign minister, called for an "orderly withdrawal" of British forces. " It is very difficult for our troops. There is no sense of the job being done," he said. Peter Kilfoyle, a former armed forces minister, added: "A decision has to be made very shortly whether we are serving any useful purpose in Iraq any longer. I don't believe that is the case."

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