Britain Puts Troop Drawdown on Hold

Photo: Alaa Al-Marjani/AP
Iraqi security forces display a picture of Salim Qassim, a secretary aide to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, during a funeral in Najaf on Tuesday. Qassim was killed in Basra on Sunday.
NYTimes:

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Britain froze plans Tuesday to withdraw about 1,500 soldiers this spring after the faltering effort to drive Shiite militias from Basra raised doubts whether the Iraqis are capable of maintaining security in oil-rich southern Iraq. The British decision was announced in London one week before the top U.S. commander in Iraq appears before Congress to offer his recommendation on how fast America should draw down its own forces. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday in Copenhagen, Denmark that last week's violence in Shiite areas had not changed American plans to withdraw more combat forces by July.

But second thoughts about Iraqi security capabilities emerged as Iraq's government reported a 50 percent rise in the number of people killed in March over the previous month. Much of the increase was a result of the fighting between Iraqi government forces and Shiite militiamen in the southern city of Basra. The conflict quickly spread, engulfing Baghdad and major cities throughout the Shiite south.
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The recent carnage threatened to reverse the security gains achieved in Iraq since President Bush ordered 30,000 U.S. reinforcements to Iraq early last year. Figures compiled by the ministries of health, interior and defense showed that at least 1,720 people were killed in politically motivated violence in March. That was up sharply from the 953 figure for February. Figures tabulated by The Associated Press from police and U.S. military reports put the March death toll as of Monday at 1,247 -- nearly double the February figure and the biggest monthly toll since August, when 1,956 people died violently.