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Rift between UK diplomats and Army in Basra
For the first time since violence broke out on Tuesday, American and British warplanes carried out a bombing raids in Basra, and one Iraqi official conceded that coalition ground support was needed.While a British army spokesman ruled out intervention on the ground, diplomats in the Baghdad embassy lobbied for a signal from the UK that troops could be deployed. Christopher Prentice, the ambassador to Iraq, signalled his differences with the MoD in a statement. "British Coalition Forces, in their overwatch role, stand ready to support Iraqi Security Forces operationally, as and when the (government of Iraq) requests this," it said. But Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman for UK forces, said coalition intervention would be confined to "niche" capabilities. "We are providing them air power over the top of the city. The Iraqi air force does exist but doesn't yet have fast jets. We are also providing surveillance. We always plan for things like this but as we speak we are not planning to go to the city." Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-03-29 |
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