Britain defends Iraq role on U.S. editorial pages

By Luke Baker

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain fought back against criticism in Washington over its performance in Iraq on Friday, taking the unusual step of publishing an editorial in a U.S. newspaper staunchly defending its record.

The opinion-editorial, jointly signed by the defense and foreign ministers, follows weeks of commentary, largely in the American press, in which military analysts, former generals and unnamed administration sources have suggested that British forces have failed in Basra and are set to flee.

The barrage has built up since Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair, Washington's staunchest ally, as British prime minister in June, and spurred the response from Defence Secretary Des Browne and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

"Recent weeks have brought a lot of misplaced criticism of the United Kingdom's role in southern Iraq. It is time to set the record straight," they wrote in the Washington Post.

"The question some people have asked is: Have British forces failed in Basra? The answer is no.

"We believe we remain on track to complete the return of full sovereignty to the Iraqi people as planned. The United Kingdom is sticking to the mission we took on four years ago."

While the re-statement of its commitment may assuage some critics and reassure the administration of President George W. Bush, there are growing calls in Britain for troops to be withdrawn, particularly with the rate of soldiers' deaths increasing in recent weeks.

Britain has 5,500 troops in Iraq, based in two locations in Basra, in the far south of the country. Five thousand are based at a vast airport complex on the city's outskirts and the remainder in an old palace in the city centre. There are plans to pull the 500 at the Basra Palace out of the country soon.