Centuries of imperial history, not least in Iraq, have made British soldiers masters of the art of leaving places with dignity. So it was that yesterday's ceremony at Basra airport, complete with a flypast by a lone Tornado, was a model of solemnity and quiet pride.
As the book closes on Britain's six-year intervention in Iraq – the fifth military campaign we have fought in the country since 1914 – it seems safe to say that scarcely anyone will regret our departure. However dignified the flag-lowering, this has been the most bitterly controversial military operation in recent history and 179 young Britons are dead because it happened.
"It has been a long and hard campaign," conceded John Hutton, the Defence Secretary. "But I think when the history is written of this campaign, they will say of the British military, 'We did a superb job', as we would expect them to."
After the invasion of 2003, Britain took responsibility for Basra and three other provinces of southern Iraq. The acid test is whether their people are better off than when the first British soldiers set foot in their country.
Read Full Article »