Basra pullout

After six years as the main battlefield ally of the United States, Britain conducted a formal transfer of authority to the US commander in Iraq in a ceremony in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The move marks the beginning of Britain's final withdrawal. At the height of the conflict, the UK deployed 46,000 troops in Iraq.

By the end of July, the British base outside Basra will shrink from almost 4,000 troops to a small force of 400 which will remain to provide specialist training to the Iraqi military.

Britain's Prime Minister claims success

Speaking at a press conference in London after talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said "the mission has not always been an easy one, many have said that we would fail."

"Britain can be proud of the legacy it leaves behind," he added. "Iraq is now a success story."

The Iraq conflict, launched by the US-led invasion on March 20, 2003, has claimed the lives of 179 British troops. According to estimates by the group Iraq Body Count, between 92,550 and 101,037 civilians have been killed.

Basra disaster

Britain's Stop the War Coalition said the operation had been an "unmitigated disaster" leaving Basra, Iraq's main oil port, in a "much worse condition than they found it in, its population depleted and demoralized, its infrastructure devastated."

Also on Thursday, Baghdad's Buratha news agency reported that Sheltagh Abud al-Mayah took office as the new governor of Basra in a ceremony attended by British, US, and Iranian diplomats.

"The new provincial government will strive to make our city able to receive investors from around the world," he told reporters after the ceremony.

"We will open our doors to anyone who wants to serve Basra," he said.