UK to halve its Iraq force

UK, Britain will halve its force in Iraq to 2,500 troops from spring next year, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday against a backdrop of noisy anti-war protesters outside parliament waving "troops out" banners.

In his first major foreign policy speech to parliament, Brown also announced plans to allow Iraqis who have worked for British troops to apply for funds to resettle in Britain, Iraq or other countries in the region.

Brown said during a visit to Iraq last week that 500 more soldiers would be home from the war by year's end and said Britain would hand responsibility for the southern province of Basra to Iraqi security forces within two months. The British force had already been due to fall from 5,500 to 5,000, and will now fall to 2,500 from spring next year.

Brown, who took over from Tony Blair as prime minister in June, had been widely expected to speed up the withdrawal of British troops after voter dismay at the war sent Blair's popularity plummeting and hastened his departure from office.

London, Tuesday, Reuters