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British forces evacuate their bases in Basra

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Ilam, June 29, IRNA -- Iraq TV announced on Monday night that 
simultaneously with the power transfer to the Iraqis in Baghdad the 
British forces in Basra evacuated a number of their military bases in 
Basra City. 
According to the report, monitored in IRNA`s Ilam Province bureau,
following the evacuation of a number of governmental buildings and 
military barracks in Basra, the Iraqi officials and police forces 
replaced the British forces. 
Iraq TV also reported that the American forces, too, on Monday 
lifted some cement road blocks and check points as a symbolic move, 
including the cement blocks they had planted around the 
Saahat-ul-Firdows Palace, which was occupied by them on April 17, 
2003. 
On Monday also on British soldier was killed and two others 
were wounded in an ambush launched by resistance fighters, believed 
to be Moqtada Sadr`s supporters, and two US soldiers, too, got 
killed in central parts of Iraq. 
Meanwhile, the care-taker of the Supreme Assembly for Islamic 
Revolution of Iraq (SAIRI) Dr. Salih Sa`d said in an interview with 
Iraq TV on Monday night, "Transferring the political power to the 
interim Iraqi government is a very significant development towards 
achieving independence in Iraq." 
He added, "Dissolving the Coalition (Occupation) Authority`s 
establishment in Iraq is a praiseworthy move, but independence will 
not be achieved at a low price." 
Dr. Sa`d said, "In order to achieve all our legitimate rights, we 
still need to continue our political campaign energetically." 
Focussing on the United States` strategic mistakes in Iraq 
following the collapse of Saddam`s regime, he said, "The Iraqi parties
had from the beginning proposed that their forces were ready to accept
the responsibility of restoring peace and stability in Iraqi cites, 
but Washington did not yield to that wise initiative, and the result 
is the mess you see throughout Iraq today." 
The SAIRI member also said, "Now that the power is transferred to 
the Iraqis, whenever the interim government would decide, all armed 
wings of the Iraqi political parties would be dissolved, and 
eorganized in the framework of Iraq`s security, disciplinary and 
police forces. 
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