British Troops Give Basra Back to Iraqis

British forces gave Iraqi troops control of the southern city of Basra Monday and moved to a base outside the city.

Basra Palace was occupied by 550 British troops, who were led out in a formal ceremony led by a bugler, the BBC reported.

The soldiers moved to a base near the city’s airport, where about 5,000 other British troops are stationed.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the network the move was not a defeat, but rather pre-planned and organized.

Under the arrangement, British troops will no longer respond to incidents on their own, but will act only if requested by the Iraqi military. A Ministry of Defense statement said British troops will continue to train Iraqi forces in the region where rival Shiite Muslim factions are battling for control.

British forces have returned three southern provinces to Iraqi control in the past year and only occupy Basra.