A Lap Dog No More?

Britain's Tony Blair has long been accused of being George Bush's lap dog, but maybe his tail is no longer wagging.

QUOTE: With American troop levels about to rise, Des Browne, the Defence Decretary, confirmed The Daily Telegraph's report that thousands of British forces were set to leave.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/12/wiraq12.xml

US threatens Iran as troops plan attacked

By Toby Harnden, Damien McElroy and Thomas Harding

America delivered a thinly-veiled threat to Iran yesterday, declaring that it would not "stand idly by" if Teheran continued to arm Iraq's insurgents. As President  George W Bush digested the reaction to his plan to send another 21,500 troops to pacify Iraq, his administration escalated the pressure on Iran.

In Iraq's northern city of Irbil, US forces raided an office housing Iran's representatives. Six Iranians were arrested and documents seized. The operation infuriated Teheran, which said the office enjoyed diplomatic protection. But American officials said Iranians agents were covertly aiding Shia militias and meddling in Baghdad's new government.

In Washington, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, told the Senate foreign relations committee that Iran and Syria were "de-stabilising" Iraq and said that America would respond.

"I don't want to speculate on what operations the United States may be engaged in, but you will see that the United States is not going to stand idly by," she said.

Miss Rice had a tough warning for Mr Maliki. "I think he knows that his government is, in a sense, on borrowed time, not just in terms of the American people but in terms of the Iraqi people," she said.

Last month, the Iraq Study Group — comprising some of America's most senior statesmen — recommended a conciliatory approach towards Iran and Syria coupled with a gradual withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. Mr Bush has adopted the opposite course.

His decision has stirred great unease. Chuck Hagel, a Republican senator, called Mr Bush's move the "most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam".

Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic congressman and presidential candidate, asked: "Isn't one war enough for this president?"

With American troop levels about to rise, Des Browne, the Defence Decretary, confirmed The Daily Telegraph's report that thousands of British forces were set to leave.

"Over the course of the this year, we can expect to see a reduction in our troops by a matter of thousands," he told MPs.

This withdrawal would allow forces to be transferred to Afghanistan, where the onset of spring is expected to bring a renewed offensive by the Taliban.

But the prospect of British troops leaving southern Iraq has left Sunni leaders fearing for their lives.