What the Media Did Not Tell You About the UK Troop Reductions

Here is the information the media refused to tell you this week when the news broke that the UK was planning on reducing troop levels in Iraq.

In a stunning display of biased or derelict reporting, this information was not mentioned by any of the major news outlets, including FOX News!

** July 2005 (just days after the London Tube bombings) Times of India:

But observers said the news could have a significant strategic impact in the US-led so-called war on terror, which has seen terrorism hit western Europe.

The memo said that Britain was seriously planning to cut back its 8,500-strong Iraq contingent to 3,000 and that Washington hoped to hand over control of security to Iraqi forces in 14 out of 18 provinces in the country by early next year, thus slashing troop levels to 66,000 from 176,000.

** September 25, 2005 The Guardian:

British troops will start a major withdrawal from Iraq next May (2006)under detailed plans on military disengagement to be published next month, The Observer can reveal.

** October 11, 2005 People’s Daily Online:

British Defense Secretary John Reid said on Monday Britain will cut its troops in Iraq by about 500 to 8,000 in November.

“The total number of troops in Iraq following the deployment of 7 Armored Brigade will be around 8,000,” Reid told the House of Commons.

“This is about 500 fewer than at present, reflecting the closure of two small bases in Basra, the transfer of some training tasks to the Iraqi security forces and structural differences between the two brigades,” Reid said.

** March 13, 2006 The BBC:

The planned reduction of 800 British troops serving in Iraq announced by the UK Defence Secretary John Reid is not the first such withdrawal nor the biggest.

The Ministry of Defence says there have now been five such reductions and this is the largest since 2004. But it is significant.

…Officially, the reason given for this reduction is progress in Security Sector Reform (SSR)…

** August 23, 2006 London Independent:

A senior British commander said that it was “feasible” that the last British controlled region could be handed over to the Iraqi authorities by the middle of next year.

** January 11, 2007 The Telegraph:

Thousands of British troops will return home from Iraq by the end of May, The Daily Telegraph can reveal today.

Tony Blair will announce within the next fortnight that almost 3,000 troops are to be cut from the current total of 7,200…

In what will be the first substantial cut of British troops serving in southern Iraq, their number will drop to 4,500 on May 31. The announcement will be made by the Prime Minister before he steps down from office as an intended signal of the achievements the British have made in Iraq.

** February 21, 2007 The Guardian:

The prime minister is expected to say that Britain intends to gradually reduce the number of troops in southern Iraq over the next 22 months as Iraqi forces take on more responsibility for the security of Basra and the surrounding areas.

Ministers have taken on board the message coming from military chiefs over many months – namely that the presence of British troops on the streets of Basra is increasingly unnecessary, even provocative. The reduction of just 1,000 by early summer cited by officials yesterday is significantly less than anticipated in reports that British troops in southern Iraq, presently totalling 7,200, would be cut by half by May.

Isn’t it amazing how the mainstream media and democrats, including golden boy Barak Obama, are spinning the news this week of the planned UK troop withdrawals? The media makes it sound like this is some kind of a sudden retreat from Iraq by Great Britain when actually it is a sign of the success for the young Iraqi democracy.

Previously:
Success in Southern Iraq… UK Announces Troop Reduction
Liberals Distort Recycled British Troop Reduction News

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

You can email Jim Hoft here, and read more of Jim Hoft's articles here.

 

Thanks for sharing!