Britain starts withdrawing troops from Iraq

September 17th, 2009 Biden: Iraq won't alter troop withdrawal timingBAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden says he is confident that Iraq will not alter the timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. Biden told reporters in Baghdad on Thursday that there are a number of steps that would have to be taken before Iraq could call a referendum that could alter the so-called status of forces agreement.

July 4th, 2009 BAGHDAD - US Vice President Joe Biden Saturday said the United States was committed to withdrawing its soldiers from Iraq by the end of 2011. Speaking from Baghdad on US Independence Day, less than a week after US soldiers withdrew from Iraqi cities, Biden said the White House would honour pledges to complete the military's withdrawal from Iraq in two years' time.

July 2nd, 2009 White House: VP Biden has traveled to IraqWASHINGTON — The White House says Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq. He's there to visit U.S.

June 29th, 2009 Iraq takes control of security, US troops withdrawBAGHDAD — Iraqi forces have assumed formal control of security in Baghdad and other cities after U.S. combat troops withdrew from urban areas.

June 20th, 2009 Truck bomb kills at least 5 in northern IraqBAGHDAD — Police say at least five people have been killed and 30 wounded in a truck bombing near a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq. Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qader says Saturday's explosion occurred following noon prayers south of the disputed city of Kirkuk.

June 15th, 2009 UK PM says Britain will examine Iraq war errorsLONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office says Britain will hold a long-awaited inquiry into the Iraq war. Brown has repeatedly pledged to examine mistakes made during and after the 2003 U.S-led invasion.

April 30th, 2009 British end combat operations in IraqBAGHDAD — British forces handed over military control of the Basra area to U.S. commanders Thursday to clear the way for America's main battlefield ally to exit Iraq after more than six years of war.

April 30th, 2009 LONDON - Britain Thursday ended its six-year-old combat mission in Iraq but Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced immediate calls for an inquiry into the war despite labelling it a 'success'. 'Today's Iraq is a success story.

March 31st, 2009 BAGHDAD - The British army is to begin Tuesday its official troops withdrawal from Iraq's southern city of Basra, a police source said. American troops are expected to replace the withdrawing British troops, which were stationed in Basra's air-base during the past six years since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the source said.

March 25th, 2009 LONDON - The British government will order a comprehensive independent inquiry into the planning and conduct of the Iraq war once the bulk of combat troops have come home by the end of July, Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced Wednesday. A full inquiry would be set up 'as soon as practical' after July 31 when British troop levels will have been reduced to 400 from the current 4,100 troops still stationed in southern Iraq.

March 16th, 2009 KAMPALA - Uganda began withdrawing its troops from northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a senior Ugandan army official said Sunday. 'The process of bringing them back starts today.

March 9th, 2009 BAGHDAD - The US military announced Sunday it would withdraw 12,000 of its combat troops from Iraq by September end this year. US military spokesman Maj.

February 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barak Obama plans to withdraw majority of the US troops from Iraq by August 2010, officials said. According to the plan, of the 142,000 US troops in Iraq, 30,000-50,000 soldiers would remain in the country till December 2011, while the rest would move out by August 2010, media reports said quoting government officials.

January 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US military is to deploy about 20,000 Marines to Afghanistan in six to eight months, a senior military officer has said. 'The time is right for Marines to leave Iraq,' Marine Commandant James Conway told reporters here, adding that the deployment is a result of troop withdrawal from Iraq.

December 30th, 2008 BAGHDAD - Iraq's defence ministry Wednesday signed two agreements on the withdrawal of British and Australian troops from the country, a ministry spokesman said. The agreements came hours before the expiry of the United Nations Security Council Mandate.