Britain not going to reduce troops number in Iraq

Britain will not significantly cut troop levels in Iraq in the near future, Defense Secretary John Reid said Monday.

Reid told lawmakers in the House of Commons that a troop rotation next month would see Britain's presence in Iraq cut by about 500, to about 8,000. Two small bases in Basra will close, he said.

"These are relatively minor adjustments," Reid was quoted as saying by the AP.

Britain "will not make significant changes to the U.K. forces posture in Iraq," he said, adding that troops would stay in Iraq "for as long as we are needed and no longer."

T.E.