The Observer | Politics | Half of UK troops 'must leave Iraq'

The Observer | Politics | Half of UK troops 'must leave Iraq': "Military planners have been urging senior commanders to seek the pullout of up to half their troops from Iraq in order to bolster the battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, The Observer has learnt.

Their hope is for a withdrawal of 'between one-third and a half' of the 7,000 British troops in Iraq by May next year, and reflects a growing concern over the pressures on an increasingly stretched army.

The call reportedly emerged from a major planning review earlier this year, shortly before the then Defence Secretary, John Reid, sent the first major part of a currently 5,500-strong army contingent to Afghanistan." Read complete post here.