The UK troops are now camped near Basra airport, dealing with relentless fire. It is only a matter of time before the UK government ends their misery and allows them to come home. Some in the UK military think the continued presence of British troops in Basra is making the situation worse.

The US troops are being reinforced, and are trying to fight to regain control over areas of Iraq where there are forces hostile to the civil government and to the US. Some in the US military think they can win, and believe the British too could reassert control over Basra if the UK government committted more troops to doing so.

I fear the US will come to the same conclusion as the UK authorities in due course. At some point all foreign troops need to withdraw, leaving keeping the peace to the Iraqi civilian authorities. If peace cannot be kept without a very large army of occupation, and not kept to an acceptable standard with one, it implies the political settlement is not the right one.

Maybe the US and the UK should have further talks with the main groups seeking to uphold and undermine the civilian government, to gain a better understanding of the options. Street fighting has been going on for a long time now, and has not brought a peaceful settlement in sight.

It is increasingly difficult to understand why our government leaves our troops at risk in such a situation. Once opponents know your troops are leaving, it raises their aggression to claim credit for driving you out. The Americans are right about one thing - if you are staying your government needs to show resolve, by reinforcing and giving troops the equipment they need.

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