Blair faces grilling on Iraq policy

pa.press

Tony Blair has pledged that British forces would not “walk away” from Iraq or Afghanistan until their job there is complete.

At his monthly Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister insisted that the British troops in the two countries were carrying out an important mission for world security.

He said: “If we walk away before the job is done from either of those two countries, we will leave a situation in which the very people we are fighting everywhere, including the extremism in our own country, are heartened and emboldened and we can’t afford that to happen. So we have got to see that job through.”

His comments follow a warning last week by the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that the British presence in Iraq was exacerbating the difficulties the UK faced around the world.

Mr Blair stressed that Gen Dannatt was not calling for the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.

“Of course, it is the case that for some of those areas in Iraq, particularly where the Iraqi forces now want to take control of those areas, it is important that we don’t overstay the time that we need to be there,” he said.

“But in no sense was he saying - and neither should anybody say - that we should get out of Iraq before the job is done.”