Will British troops return to Basra?

By Paul Wood
BBC Middle East correspondent

Iraqi soldiers have struggled to make progress against militiamen

It has been announced that the number of British troops in Iraq will not be reduced as planned because of the recent outbreak of violence in Basra. So what role have British forces been playing during the ongoing conflict?

The UK's current task in southern Iraq is one of "overwatch".

For British soldiers at their base in southern Iraq over the past few days, this has meant literally having to watch as television pictures showed masked gunmen, weapons raised above their heads, performing victory jigs in the streets of Basra.

Even as the Iraqi army was bogged down, unable to make any headway against the militiamen after five days of fighting, British commanders said they would not send any ground forces to help.

Instead, there was air support, with British planes carrying out strafing runs against the Mehdi Army, and resupply, of food, water, and ammunition.

The British base also took in Iraqi casualties.

You could tell when a fresh round of fighting had started because the tannoy would broadcast a call for all medical staff to head for the field hospital.

Minutes later, green Army ambulances would scream past.

The Iraqi operation is still ongoing. Defence Secretary Des Browne said these things always took time - a polite way of acknowledging what is in effect a victory for the militiamen.

They have driven back everything the Iraqi security forces could throw at them.

Some in the US have questioned the point of the British deployment if troops are not going to intervene when the Iraqi security forces are clearly in trouble.

The question in Britain, heard in the Commons, is: What if the Iraqis do not get a grip? Will British forces have to go back into Basra?

The British exit strategy for Iraq depends on PIC - provincial Iraqi control.

Events in Basra have shown the Iraqis cannot yet do this on their own, and so the British forces must stay a while longer in southern Iraq.