By Patrick Hennessy, Sean Rayment and Melissa Kite
(Filed: 17/10/2004)
Tony Blair last night stood accused of conspiring to use British troops in Iraq as a "political gesture" to help George W Bush in the US presidential election.
The Prime Minister faced protests from all sides over plans to redeploy British forces to an area 25 miles south of Baghdad, freeing the US 24th Marine Expeditionary Force for an expected assault on the rebel stronghold of Fallujah.
A soldier from the Black Watch based in Iraq
Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, is preparing to make a Commons statement tomorrow announcing that about 650 soldiers from the Black Watch will leave Basra and come under US command "for a few weeks".
The Sunday Telegraph understands, however, that the deployment is being resisted by Gen Sir Michael Walker, the Chief of the Defence Staff.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/10/17/ntroop17.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/10/17/ixportaltop.htmlUK troops to Baghdad warning
By Kim Sengupta in Baghdad and Robert Fox
17 October 2004
Tony Blair was last night accused of conspiring to use British troops in Iraq as a "political gesture" to boost George Bush's campaign in the US presidential elections.
Nicholas Soames, the Conservative defence spokesman, suggested that the reported plans to send a battalion into US-controlled areas around Baghdad were being carried out for political reasons.
Mr Soames said: "We need to watch the timing of all this and to be careful that this isn't just being used as a kind of political gesture to reassure the Americans of Prime Minister Blair's support for the American efforts."
Mr Blair is considering a request to send around 650 troops north to help free up American soldiers to mount a major operation against insurgents in Fallujah. The most likely candidate is thought to be the Black Watch, which is currently acting as the reserve battalion in Iraq
....
Robin Cook, the former foreign secretary, urged Mr Blair to reject the American request yesterday, warning that it could associate all British troops with aggressive US methods: "The last time US forces attacked Fallujah they left 1,000 civilians dead and uproar across Iraq at their heavy-handed tactics ... If Britain frees up US forces for the next assault we may be held equally responsible by Iraqis."
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http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=572946
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