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British combat forces are no longer needed to maintain security in southern Iraq and should leave the country, Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, has told The Times of London. In an exclusive interview in Baghdad, al-Maliki also criticised a secret deal made last year by Britain with the al-Mahdi Army, Iraq’s largest Shia militia. He said that Basra had been left at the mercy of militiamen who “cut the throats of women and children” after the British withdrawal from the city. The Iraqi leader emphasized, however, that the “page had been turned” and he looked forward to a friendly,...

Tuesday December 18, 6:18 AM British soldier dies after being shot in Kosovo A British soldier with the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, died after being shot in the Yugoslav province's main city of Pristina, a KFOR spokesman said. The spokesman, Captain Ollie Major, said: "A British soldier was injured as a result of a gunshot wound. The soldier later died." Major said the soldier had been on duty in front of a partially built Christian Orthodox church when he was shot. He did not give further details and did not name the soldier. Unrest between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian ...

PRINCE Harry has won his battle with defence chiefs and will return to Afghanistan's frontline to take up the fight against the Taliban. The third in line to the British throne has already served one tour as a forward air controller directing air strikes against hostile forces less than 500m away. Now the 24-year-old is likely to be more in the thick of it as a lieutenant with the Blues and Royals, an amalgamation of the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) the history of which dates back to the 1600s. After his first deployment, Prince...

AS the Afghan sun set over the end-of-tour memorial service last Wednesday at British headquarters in Lashkar Gah, 32 names of the dead, aged between 19 and 52, were solemnly read out, including that of the first woman killed, Corporal Sarah Bryant. Almost every other name, it seemed, was from 2 Para. The 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment lost more lives than any other section of 16 Air Assault Brigade — 11 in total, and five in one week in June — or one in 10 of the unit. Over the past few days, as the paras flew back to...

Britain's most senior military commander in Afghanistan has warned that the war against the Taliban cannot be won. Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the British public should not expect a “decisive military victory” but should be prepared for a possible deal with the Taliban. His assessment followed the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat who claimed that Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador in Kabul, had told him the current strategy was “doomed to fail”. Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan, said it was necessary to “lower our expectations”....

Exclusive   You're in the Army now   Undercover ... Russell Sharp in trainingBBC/Kent News and Pics   By JOHN KAY Chief Reporter Published: Today   A BBC reporter who joined the Army to expose bullying may be sent to war, it emerged yesterday. Russell Sharp, 25, did 15 weeks before lying so he could quit on “compassionate” grounds. And last night after furious top brass found out who he was they threatened to haul him back to complete his training — and send him into action. Senior officers hit the roof because Sharp, whose TV film Undercover Soldier...

A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. The soldier was a member of the 2nd Battalion the Parachute regiment. His death, in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, is the fourth of a British serviceman this month. He was killed while on a routine patrol near Kajaki, in Helmand province. The cause of the explosion is being investigated by military police. Lieutenant Colonel David Reynolds, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "The life of a British paratrooper can never be replaced, but it can be immortalised. "His participation in this tour...

Military Refusal Corporal Tomas Stringer is a Welshman (hence the spelling of his Christian name). A paratrooper, he’s serving in Afghanistan, and he has one arm in plaster because he’d broken his wrist jumping from a truck when a roadside bomb went off. Back in Britain to recuperate, he was helping organize the funeral of a friend killed in action. He’s made a reservation at the Metro Hotel in Woking, a quiet and somewhat suburban town in Surrey, where incidentally in the nineteenth century the first mosque in Britain was built. Corporal Stringer arrived at the Metro in civilian clothes,...

The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has blamed Britain for the resurgence of the Taliban and its growing activity in large tracts of the country. His remarks, made to Afghan MPs, follow a clash with Gordon Brown over the Kabul regime’s links with warlords and drugs barons. Karzai claims Brown has threatened to withdraw British troops from Helmand province, where 31 of them have died this year, if the president reinstates two provincial governors sacked for alleged dealings in the heroin trade. One of them is Sher Mohammed Akhundzada, the former governor of Helmand, who was forced out under British...

A British soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan yesterday, the 117th serviceman to be killed in the country since operations began in November 2001. The man, who has not been named, was involved in a routine foot patrol when an improvised explosive device was triggered in Sangin in Helmand province, the Ministry of Defence said. His next of kin have been informed. The soldier, from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, was given first aid at the scene. Brigadier-General Richard Blanchette, International Security Assistance Force spokesman, said: “I offer our condolences to the families and friends of our fallen soldier....

A major secret British operation to boost the economy in Afghanistan's Helmand province has been completed after a force of 5,000 troops fought for a week to drive a huge dam turbine through Taliban lines. British commanders estimate that more than 200 Taliban were killed as they tried to prevent the convoy of 100 vehicles from getting the machinery to Kajaki hydroelectric dam where it will provide a significant increase in energy for up to two million Afghans. The operation has been described as the biggest of its kind since the Second World War. For the last five days the...

Almost three thousand British troops in southern Afghanistan have successfully transported a huge hydroelectric power turbine through Taleban territory. In one of their biggest operations in Helmand, a convoy of 100 vehicles took five days to move the massive sections of the turbine 180km (112 miles). The $6m (£3.4m) turbine will produce electricity for an extra 1.9m people. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the operation was a reminder of Nato's "fundamental purpose" in Afghanistan. The operation to increase the output of the Kajaki dam in southern Afghanistan is part of a development project which has been planned for two years.

More than 3,500 insurgents have been "taken off the streets of Baghdad" by the elite British force in a series of audacious "Black Ops" over the past two years. It is understood that while the majority of the terrorists were captured, several hundred, who were mainly members of the organisation known as "al-Qa'eda in Iraq" have been killed by the SAS. The SAS is part of a highly secretive unit called "Task Force Black" which also includes Delta Force, the US equivalent of the SAS. The prime targets have been those intent on joining the wave of suicide car bombers...

Eighteen sailors on a Royal Navy warship have tested positive for cocaine, the MoD has said. They were caught during routine testing onboard HMS Liverpool, deployed in the South Atlantic. The ship has been involved in combating drug smuggling. "Internal action" is being taken against the sailors in what is believed to be the biggest drug bust in the Navy's history. It comes after five soldiers were dismissed after failing a drugs test.

All British combat troops are to be withdrawn from Iraq by the middle of next year, leaving a few hundred military trainers to continue instructing an Iraqi army division based in Basra, according to proposals confirmed by defence sources yesterday. The British sources also said that the Government had no plans to maintain a permanent base in Iraq, although they emphasised that no final decisions had been taken. Details of the new British personnel structure are to be negotiated in the status-of-forces agreement to be signed with Baghdad. Yesterday The Times disclosed, after an interview with Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi...

Troubling revelation: Did our British allies sit on their hands in Iraq? Scandal over Britain's military echoes critique of murdered journalist Steven VincentBy David PaulinThree years ago this month, American freelance journalist Steven Vincent was kidnapped and murdered in Basra, Iraq, a port city then under British military control. His murder occurred as Britain's military – as Vincent had earlier reported -- was turning a blind eye to the rise of menacing Shiite religious groups, including those of bellicose rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr.Now, three years later, the ineptitude of British forces in Basra has boiled over into a full-fledged scandal...

Three years ago this month, American freelance journalist Steven Vincent was kidnapped and murdered in Basra, Iraq, a port city then under British military control. His murder occurred as Britain's military -- as Vincent had earlier reported -- was turning a blind eye to the rise of menacing Shiite religious groups, including those of bellicose rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr. Now, three years later, the ineptitude of British forces in Basra has boiled over into a full-fledged scandal in Britain, as today's Wall Street Journal notes in an editorial, "Basra and the Brits." The scandal concerns the failure of British military...

A controversy has broken out in London over Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the honor of Britain's military, and Iraq. It's a reminder of the road America could have taken before the surge made victory possible -- and a warning to politicians who are slaves to public opinion in war. The story starts with this spring's military offensive by the Iraqi government to oust the Shiite militias from the southern city of Basra. The British were given coalition control in the south starting in 2003. Yet when the Iraqi military ran into trouble at the start of their operation this year,...

A soldier returning from Iraq in full combat uniform was thrown off a train after a ticket inspector demanded proof he was eligible for an Armed Forces discount. Rifleman Zachary Hoyland, 19, had been unable to pick up his Services railcard from barracks and was told the cheaper ticket he had been bought was not valid without it.

Kuwait has activated its Emergency War Plan after an armada of US naval battle groups headed for the Persian Gulf, Middle East Times reports. The report comes after DEBKAfiles claimed on Monday that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Ronald Reagan, and the USS Iwo Jima are sailing toward the Persian Gulf to reinforce the US strike forces in the region. The US naval force is accompanied by a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine. The deployment is believed to be the largest naval task force assembled by the United States and its allies...

A British soldier has been killed and two injured in a bombing in Kabul. The British soldier was from 16 Signal Regiment. Next of kin have been informed. The attack on the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital on Tuesday afternoon also killed three civilians and left 12 wounded. An MoD spokeswoman said: "The three British soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital where one of them sadly died from his wounds. "Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and comrades." The suicide attacker exploded his vehicle by ramming it into a convoy of armoured vehicles.

British ready to boost Afghan deploymentMove would help Canadians stationed in south AfghanistanBritish officials strongly hinted that they may increase troop numbers in Afghanistan, a move that would be a boon to Canadian forces in the region. The British Defence Minister strongly hinted on Thursday that he was prepared to significantly boost the number of troops sent to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. British military officials are believed to have been in discussions about increasing the number of troops to 14,000 from 8,200 -- a move that would be good news for Canadian troops fighting the hard-line Islamic insurgents in...

'The defence secretary has said reports British soldiers delayed helping Iraqi troops in Basra because of a deal with militiamen were "simply not true". The Times said a secret pact with the Mehdi Army kept British forces on the sidelines for days while an attack was launched on the Shia group in March. While officials denied the pact, but admitted a previous deal, Des Browne said he never constrained the military. The Conservatives said the public had not been given the "full picture". Responding to questions from shadow defence secretary Liam Fox, Mr Browne said: "The allegations made in the...

UK Basra deal claims 'not true' A deal allowed UK troops to withdraw to Basra's airport last summer The defence secretary has said reports British soldiers delayed helping Iraqi troops in Basra because of a deal with militiamen were "simply not true". The Times said a secret pact with the Mehdi Army kept British forces on the sidelines for days while an attack was launched on the Shia group in March. While officials denied the pact, but admitted a previous deal, Des Browne said he never constrained the military. The Conservatives said the public had not been given the...

'Secret deal' with Iraqi militia kept British troops out of battle for Basra Aug. 5, 2008 British forces were accused of staying on the sidelines during a battle in Iraq because of a "secret deal" between the UK and an Iranian-backed militia, it was reported today. Four thousand British troops were unable to come to the aid of US and Iraqi soldiers for six days during the battle for Basra this year, reports said But the Ministry of Defence denied there was any "accommodation" which prevented troops from entering Basra. An MoD spokeswoman said British forces were not sent in...

A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt. Four thousand British troops – including elements of the SAS and an entire mechanised brigade – watched from the sidelines for six days because of an “accommodation” with the Iranian-backed group, according to American and Iraqi officers who took part in the assault. US Marines and soldiers had to be rushed in to fill the void, fighting bitter street battles and...

A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt. Four thousand British troops – including elements of the SAS and an entire mechanised brigade – watched from the sidelines for six days because of an “accommodation” with the Iranian-backed group, according to American and Iraqi officers who took part in the assault.

The RAF is cutting a fifth of its helicopter crews from Britain's search and rescue service to send them to Afghanistan. RAF search and rescue teams will boost military's helicopter fleet in Afghanistan The crews are being sent to Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan to fly British troops, the Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday. Helicopters have become the preferred mode of transporting troops because there is less risk of roadside bombs. Many of Britain's 114 deaths in Afghanistan have been caused by mines, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and suicide bombs directed at troops travelling by land. It is also hoped...

LONDON: British Muslims are part of the Taliban force fighting against the country's troops deployed under the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, a British General said in an interview with a newspaper published on Saturday. General Ed Butler, a former commander of Britain's force in Afghanistan, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying that British forces "have uncovered evidence that British Muslims are actively supporting the Taliban and al-Qaida in attacks on coalition forces in southern Afghanistan". "There are British passport holders who live in Britain, who are being found in places like Kandahar," said Butler,...

British Muslims are helping the Taliban in their war against UK soldiers in southern Afghanistan, according to the former commander of Britain's forces in AfghanistanBrig. Ed Butler, who spent six months commanding British forces in Afghanistan, also revealed fears that militant Islamic groups in south-east Asia are supporting terrorist plots in the UK. The brigadier, a former head of the SAS, spoke exclusively to the Daily Telegraph in the week when the British death toll in Afghanistan reached 114, with 17 fatalities in the last two months. UK forces have uncovered evidence that British Muslims are actively supporting the Taliban...

British Muslims are part of the Taliban force fighting against the country's troops deployed under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, a British General said in an interview with a newspaper published Saturday. General Ed Butler, a former commander of Britain's force in Afghanistan, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph Saturday as saying that British forces "have uncovered evidence that British Muslims are actively supporting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in attacks on coalition forces in southern Afghanistan". "There are British passport holders who live in Britain, who are being found in places like Kandahar," said Butler,...

A British soldier was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan yesterday, the Ministry of Defence has announced. Next of kin have been informed. British soldiers in Afghanistan The latest death brings to 114 the total number of UK forces to die in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001. Of those, 87 have been killed in action. The Ministry of Defence said that the soldier was serving with the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. The explosion happened in Helmand province, where most of the UK's 7,800 troops in Afghanistan are based. The soldier was part of a routine patrol that...

Health and safety killjoys tell war veterans they are too old to hoist the Union Flag over town hall Last updated at 02:38am on 26.07.08      Up in arms: Veterans John Ireland (right) and Keith Hutchins in front of the town hall In their younger days, they risked death and injury to fight for their country against the Nazis and other enemies.  But, now, war veterans who want to fly the Union Flag proudly above their town hall are being defeated by a barrage of health and safety rules.  Royal British Legion members had scented victory after fighting...

A British Army dog handler has been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The soldier, from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, died on Thursday after coming under fire while on routine patrol, the MoD said. Six other soldiers were injured in the incident in Helmand Province. The death brings the total number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan to 112. The soldier's next of kin have been informed. The soldier was attached to the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, serving in the Sangin area of Helmand. His patrol came under small arms fire from...

    Major gongs for heroic Our Boys   Award ... Captain Paul Britton is congratulated by Major General Gary Robison    By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence Editor Published: Today     AN Army officer who led a battle despite a lump of burning shrapnel in his shoulder was one of 19 forces heroes awarded the Military Cross yesterday.   Praise ... Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb  Captain Paul Britton, 28, refused morphine so he could control artillery and air strikes to beat off Taliban attackers in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Royal Artillery officer was wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade...

A Royal Marine who threw himself on to an exploding grenade to save the lives of his comrades is to receive the George Cross. Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher stepped on a trip-wire which triggered the device during a night raid on a Taliban compound in Afghanistan. Realising that three other members of his patrol would be killed if he did not act, he launched himself forward to smother the explosion, managing to twist on to his back to let his rucksack take the full force of the blast. Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher with his shredded rucksack. Having stepped on a...

L/Cpl Matthew Croucher will become part of a select of group of just 20 living George Cross holders when the Queen awards him the medal, which is given for acts showing the same level of heroism as the Victoria Cross. The Marine had less than seven seconds to make up his mind on whether to risk sacrificing his own life to save his friends when the hand grenade rolled onto the ground during an operation in Afghanistan earlier this year. Without hesitating he chose to chance death and save his three fellow Royal Marines. '

British Forces in Afghanistan have killed their second senior Taliban leader in a little over two weeks, striking a critical blow to the insurgency's command and control capabilities in Helmand. Scimitar Combat Vehicles Bishmullah was a senior key facilitator and logistician responsible for the Northern Helmand region. He is believed to have commanded numerous fighters and was identified by Task Force Helmand as a key player in the insurgency, and criminality, before the strike. He was killed in a firefight in Now Zad in the early hours of Saturday, 12 July 2008, just 15 days after Sadiqullah, another senior Taliban...

It is with the deepest sorrow that I have to belatedly report the death in service of my late husband. My husband was a soldier of the British Army with an 18yr service record and combat experience from Northern Ireland to Afghanistan. He was a strong man and a doting father to his 2 children. He passed away in May due to injuries he sustained whilst serving abroard. My Husband had been through a hard time the past 18 months, which saw him in civilian court for protecting his family then being accused of a crime he did not commit...

Both the United States and Britain are hoping to reduce their military commitment in Iraq to focus on Afghanistan. The US is considering cutting American troop numbers to below 120,000, compared with 170,000 last year. Up to three combat brigades could be withdrawn in September. Britain is also looking to cut troop numbers by almost a half in Iraq, from 4,000 to about 2,500, although not until next year. This would give the Government the option of deploying more units to Helmand province, where the Taleban has intensified its operations, using suicide attacks, roadside bombs and mines. More American and...

If YouTube proved the natural home of anyone who happened to find himself in simultaneous possession of a camera phone, some Mentos, and a can of Diet Coke, then the not-yet-two-year-old LiveLeak.com is digging a foxhole for itself. It's become a meeting place for those who blow stuff up and those who like to watch it explode. Troops in the field in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most valued content providers on LiveLeak. The site's unsqueamish emphasis on raw video - it does have some rules, not that you would notice - makes it a destination spot for short...

Forget spoilt footballers and minor Royals. Yesterday, Miss Michelle Clifford married Lance-Corporal Martyn Compton. And the terrible injuries he suffered in Afghanistan could not diminish the towering, inspirational love they share The walk down the aisle yesterday was only a matter of yards. Yet for Martyn Compton it meant everything. Indeed, his determination to make the distance was matched only by that of the beautiful young woman he was about to marry. And when he falteringly held out his hand for her to slip the gold ring on his finger, they both finally fulfilled the dream they had fought desperately...

Almost half of UK military personnel are ready to leave the forces, a Ministry of Defence survey suggests. Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting. Among the concerns raised by the 9,000 servicemen and women surveyed were the frequency of tours, levels of pay and the quality of equipment and housing. The Ministry of Defence said the survey revealed "areas of concern" but that conditions were being improved. Sense of overstretch The first survey to assess attitudes across the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the...

A British soldier was killed and two others injured when a vehicle they were travelling in rolled over while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday. "The vehicle had been part of a patrol, conducting force protection when the incident occurred. The incident was not combat-related," said the MOD in statement. The three soldiers, who were from the 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, were evacuated to NATO's International Security Assistance Force's medical facilities at Camp Bastion... ...The death in Helmand province brings to 109 the number of British troops killed since U.S.-led...

ASRA — Operation Charge of the Knights, a joint operation involving UK Soldiers and the Iraqi Army, which aims to restore order and improve security in Basra, is making further progress. The Iraqi Army continues to demonstrate its commitment to improving the security situation in the city, carrying out a number of vehicle check points in recent days. Inspections were carried out on a number of vehicles which were going in and out of the city. In addition, numerous house searches were carried out, leading to multiple arrests of suspected militants. 140 rounds of 150mm High Explosive shells were also...

A British soldier has been killed by an explosion while checking for mines in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday. The soldier, from the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, was thrown from his vehicle by an explosion on Tuesday in the Upper Sangin valley, a region in the south of the country that is the focus of intense fighting. "He was killed by a suspected IED explosion," the ministry said in a statement. "No one else was injured in the incident." Another British soldier was killed in the same area of the country, also on Tuesday,...

There were questions surrounding Gordon Brown when he became Great Britain's Prime Minister. Taking office with echoes of "lap dog" following his predecessor Tony Blair, many wondered just how committed Brown would be to the "Special Relationship" between the US and Great Britain and whether he would initiate a more independent course in foreign affairs. Brown may yet eschew supporting the US on many issues. But on increasing sanctions on Iran and sending additional troops to Afghanistan - two things the US devoutly wished Brown would accede to - the British Prime Minister has come through.....

Sky news poll on Afghanistan http://news.sky.com/skynews/home The Brits’ support in Afghanistan is a good thing. Help support our troops by supporting the Brits’ presence there. Please copy this link to a doc, and vote from your own computer. Often the polls close as soon as they see a Free Republic response. . .

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2008 – The United Kingdom will increase the number of troops it contributes to the coalition effort in Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced today. Brown made the announcement during a joint news conference with President Bush in London. The two leaders also discussed a range of issues, including Iraq and Iran. “We have resolved, first of all, as we did some years ago, that it is in the British national interest to confront the Taliban in Afghanistan or Afghanistan would come to us,” Brown said. “And so today, Britain will announce additional troops for...

A British soldier told yesterday how he survived after a Taliban sniper’s bullet passed through his brain. Sergeant Alistair McKinney of the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment said the bullet entered his head above his left eye, went through his brain and exited his skull above his right ear. Sgt McKinney, 36, was hit by sniper fire from hills as he patrolled the perimeter fence of his base at Musa Qala, Afghanistan in August 2005. He has no recollection of the shooting. He said: “The bullet smashed my forehead just above the left eye, went through part of my brain...