THE call by the head of the British Army to pull out of Iraq “some time soon” was backed yesterday by both the police chief and the governor of Basra, writes Hala Jaber.

Supporting General Sir Richard Dannatt’s claim that the presence of UK troops was only “exacerbating” the problem in southern Iraq, both men urged Britain to leave and let the Iraqis take control.

A spokesman for the governor, Mohammed al-Waili, said: “It’s true they saved us from Saddam Hussein, but that war is over.

“We believe their continuing presence makes the security situation worse. They must now either leave or stay put in their barracks and allow the Iraqi forces to take control.”

Mohammed Hamadi, the Basra police chief, said all trust between the British and local forces had now broken down. “We do not need the British in our streets and cities,” he said.

One British officer said in Basra that support for the army’s presence was “waning day by day”.

Senior officers are also concerned that if they cannot redeploy troops from Iraq, it will cause the mission to Afghanistan to fail.

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