British troops 'may have to stay 10 years to keep order' By Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent
British troops might have to stay in Iraq for up to 10 years to help local forces maintain security after the proposed hand-over of power to the Iraqi government on 30 June, the commanding officer of UK forces in Basra has warned.
Brigadier Nick Carter said it could take British troops between two and 10 years to restore long-term stability, under the authority of an Iraqi police force acceptable to all rival factions within the country.
"We are in cloud-cuckoo land if we think we are going to create overnight a police force that is accountable to the population," the officer told The Scotsman newspaper. "We have to build solid foundations now for the longer term."
Yesterday, British troops were attacked by supporters of the Shia cleric Muqtadr Sadr in the town of Amarrah. Brigadier Carter warned that increased violence in south Iraq from militia loyal to the rebel cleric could mushroom into a major revolt in Iraq's Shia community if the Allies tried to seize the leader by force.
He added: "While they [the wider Shia community] regard Sadr as an upstart, they have some sympathy with his grievances," he added. "The Basra Shia will see an attack on Sadr as an attack on the Shia overall. He is becoming a bit of a talisman figure."