I have served with the British Army and hold them in the highest esteem. I've never found anything but courage and honor among them. Let's not let this get personal; the men and women on the ground are doing their very best in some very difficult circumstances. Blame the leaders first.

Earnest Bliss, Whitehouse, OH, USA

I understand the deal made with Sadr, but that should have been killed the moment your allies are under attack

Armando, Tampa, USA

Do we never learn. The US attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages failed in part because the rescue misison were contacting the White House/DoD for instructions. It should be left to the senior officer on the ground to make decisions. Besides, Des Browne may have been working on Scotland that week.

John, bangkok, Thailand

I understand the comments from the USA in relation to this article. All I can say is read it again and understand exactly what it is saying. The British have had far more success than the Americans in CI ops. What happened here was the interuption of that process by the Iraqis themselves.

Jurgen, St Maixent sur Vie, France

I suspect Churchill would have weighed up the situation, disregarded any political gains, and not committed any troops to this shambles in the first place. The idea that the intervention of the West has improved matters in Iraq is laughable. Thousands of people have died for no gain whatsoever.

John , London,

What would Churchill have done? He would have made deals with the tribes to facilitate a troop drawdown, just as he did when he was responsible for fighting the Iraqi insurgency in 1920-1921. Does that sound familiar?

Gavin, Dundee,

Nice British bashing from the Yanks here; shows we can't trust you when the chips are down! When times were hard the UK supported the US, shame that you can't offer the same support the other way round.
Also I cannot believe that any deal in Basra was done without US, or maybe Iraqi, knowledge.

Matt, Henley,

If Al-Maliki doesn't trust the British, then it's time for us to leave Iraq.

Glynys Honor, Orpington, KENT

What are you going on about Ken Wyatt? It was the Americans and Iraqis who took Basra back from Mahdi Army when Gordon Brown cowardly ordered the troops to surrender control of Basra to the Mahdi Army.

Terrible shame for the Army who have given so many lives to capture Basra in first place.

Andy, London, UK

Shame on all you Amercians for slating our brave soldiers. How do you even think you know what is going on out there?

Churchill wouldn't have believed the lame excuses for going there in the first place.

Adam , Bolton, England

New Labour are too interested in giving hand outs to islamic preachers in the UK rather than supporting our troops and Allies. 7/7 victims are still waiting for compensation... New Labour - New Traitor.

Marc ylf, London, UK

It just seems that the Americans love to start 'em but lack the heart to fight 'em.

Ken Wyatt, Todmorden, UK

This is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. If we are in this thing then we are in it together and should work together. I understand that politics will always come into play but all this back door negotiating will only hurt our own troops and ultimately Iraq.

Mick, London, United Kingdom

Dan/USA
All Americans know by now, lastly, that we can't rely on the Europeans for much, at all, as Afghanistan proves and now Iraq as well. When you can't even rely on the Brits though, an American just sees Europe as a useless, costly investment from the 20th Century. Europe can't be relied on.

Dan B., Portland, USA

I second what David M. said about the British having a first rate Army. I worked with British soldiers and shared billeting with them, so I know they are well-trained and certainly aren't cowards. The political will to see things through has evaporated in the U.K. though.

Ross, Wyoming, USA

" Shame, and eternal shame, nothing
but shame!" This is the quote from Henry V that went round and round in my head when I read this article.

Hester, Naperville, USA

Every British soldier owes an enormous debt of gratitude to The Times for exposing this squalid act of stupidity or cowardice on the part of their Government. Until it was exposed, the courage of these soldiers had been questioned, and had earned them a collective "white feather".

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

The British have a first rate army with a lot of experience in sticky situations, from Iraq to Ireland. What has really hampered their effectiveness in Basra is the lack of political will and support at home.

David Mickelson, Vancouver, WA, U.S.

stand up and fight or go home. What would Churchill have done?

Carlos A. Miller, Pasadena, California, US of A