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UK to pull 800 troops from Iraq
 British soliders patrol the waterways near an oil terminal in Basra. SPECIAL REPORT
• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq
• Interactive: Sectarian divide
• Timeline: Bloodiest days for civilians
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain will pull about 800 troops out of Iraq by the end of May, cutting its contingent in the south of the country by nearly 10 percent, Defense Secretary John Reid has announced. The pullout will leave Britain with about 7,000 troops in southern Iraq when completed, Reid told the House of Commons on Monday. He said the reduction was made possible by a "continual and considerable advance" in the capabilities of Iraqi troops. But he added that those troops were not yet ready to take over responsibility for security "at the operational level" -- a move that could lead to further withdrawals of British forces. "Our commitment to the Iraqi people and government remains total and remains steadfast," Reid said. "We will stay as long as needed and wanted and until the job is done. Today marks another signficant step in that direction." British troops make up the second-largest force in Iraq, second only to the 130,000-strong U.S. contingent. British officers command the multinational division based in southern Iraq, with headquarters in the port city of Basra, and had more than 10,000 troops in Iraq at one point in 2003. The 3-year-old war has never been popular in Britain, and observers attribute opposition to Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the U.S.-led invasion for a loss of more than 90 Labor seats in Parliament in last year's elections. Britain has lost 103 service members in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion that toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Five British troops have been killed in 2006, four of them by hostile fire. Allegations of abuse by UK forces in Iraq were made last month after a newspaper released what it described as video showing soldiers savagely beating Iraqi youths. (Full story) Reid said a committee made up of military officers, Iraqi government ministers and senior officials from the countries that still have troops in Iraq would begin the process of determining whether Iraqi troops could begin taking responsibility for security in some provinces currently under British control. At the time of the last withdrawal of British troops in October, Reid said there were 190,000 members of Iraqi security forces trained and equipped. Now the total is 235,000, and 5,000 more joined every month, he said. The Iraqi army has more than 10 operational combat battalions engaged in counterinsurgency operations, Reid said, of which 59 were assessed as being "in the lead" or capable of independent operations. "British troops, which are focused primarily in the south of the country will continue to have a presences in all four provinces they are responsible for," Reid said. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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