Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 3 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Iraqi Forces (Training)

Question: There were reports in yesterday’s papers that the Government are to bring forward the withdrawal of a further 1,000 troops from Iraq. Will the Secretary of State make any comment that he feels fit on that? Will he also give us an estimate of the final date for withdrawing all British troops from Iraq?

Answer: Currently, we have approximately 4,100 troops serving in southern Iraq and we continue to work on detailed plans with our allies, including the Iraqi security forces and other coalition partners, to determine the appropriate number of troops. Those decisions will be made on the basis of military advice, and when I am ready to make a further statement to the House about numbers, I will do so, just as I have kept the House informed as numbers have reduced. On the final part of my hon. Friend’s question, a final decision will be based on an assessment of the Iraqis’ ability to provide security for themselves and their people.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 472 c1442
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Armed forces Deployment Iraq Peacekeeping operations Training Security
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk