Even before British troops begin their withdrawal from southern Iraq, US forces are already stepping in to finish the job of securing the oil-rich province.

At the dusty British military headquarters at Basra’s airport, the Stars and Stripes flies alongside the Union Flag in a symbolic demonstration that after nearly six years in southern Iraq, the British era is coming to an end.

British commanders are focused on meeting certain targets set by Gordon Brown before departure, but the need for extra US troops to train the police and border guards in southern Iraq highlights the shortcomings of the British mission.

US soldiers in Basra may even be required to offer assistance to the Iraqi army, the flagship product of British efforts since the 2003 invasion.

Major-General Andy Salmon, commander of 4,000 British and 2,000 US troops in Basra, said the Iraq drawdown will enable Britain to focus its finite resources on the campaign in Afghanistan rather than dividing them between the two.

“We are going to be able to allow our UK Armed Forces to … focus in one area, which I think is hugely beneficial given the challenges that we’ve had to face over conducting two demanding campaigns at the same time,” he told The Times.

As well as the military transition, London plans to give Washington the lead on economic development in Basra at a time when projects finally look set to flourish thanks to a turnaround in security. As a result, a US-led rather than UK-led reconstruction team will take the credit for future successes.

“They’re steeling our thunder,” joked Lance Corporal Steven Knight, 23, from Weston-Super-Mare, when asked about the growing US presence in Basra.

British troops took command of Iraq’s four southern-most provinces after the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, but questions mounted about their ability to tackle a growing, Iranian-backed Shia militia, particularly in Basra.

An Iraqi-led operation, supported by US and British forces, eventually wrested back control of the city last April. Since then the US military has retained a presence, compensating for security gaps that Britain is unable to fill.

Lieutenant Colonel Ed Lowe arrived at the increasingly-Americanised British base at Basra airport a few weeks ago to command hundreds of US military police who will mentor Basra’s fledgling policemen in stations around the city.

“The British didn’t do police transition teams,” said the American officer . “They may not have had the forces to be able to do that, so we bring that to the table.”

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