UK leaving Iraq insecure, MPs warn

As UK forces prepare for the formal transition later this month, the Commons Defence Committee painted a bleak picture of the legacy they leave behind.

Violence against civilians was undiminished as the city remained in the grip of the militias and criminal gangs, with "serious questions" over the true allegiances of many police officers. While the Iraqi army had made "significant progress", the committee said it still needed back-up support from the British - particularly logistics and intelligence - to operate effectively.

At the same time, the committee questioned the continued viability of the remaining British force, based outside the city itself at Basra Air Station, once its numbers are halved to 2,500 from next spring.

"If there is still a role for UK forces in Iraq, those forces must be capable of doing more than just protecting themselves at Basra Air Station," the report said.

"If the reduction in numbers means they cannot do more than this, the entire UK presence in south eastern Iraq will be open to question."

While the committee welcomed the reduction in attacks on UK forces since they pulled out of their last base in the city - Basra Palace - in September, this alone could not be seen as a measure of success.

"The fact there has been no corresponding reduction in the number of attacks against the civilian population of the city is a matter of concern," it said.

"The relative security of Basra is said to owe more to the dominance of militias and criminal gangs, who are said to have achieved a fragile balance in the city, than to the success of the multinational and Iraqi security forces in tackling the root causes of the violence.

"The initial goal of UK forces in south eastern Iraq was to establish the security necessary for the development of representative political institutions and for economic reconstruction. Although progress has been made, this goal remains unfulfilled."