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Bush Wanted Hundreds More UK Troops; Blair Said No.

Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

The Scotsman - Jan 14, 2007
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=69462007

Blair rejected Iraq troops plea

By BRIAN BRADY
WESTMINSTER EDITOR

TONY Blair formally rejected an American appeal to send hundreds more
British troops to Iraq to help with US "surge" tactics, Scotland on Sunday
can reveal.

The Prime Minister was confronted with the request for extra help to
supplement the thousands of American reinforcements on their way to
Baghdad, during conversations with President Bush before Christmas.

But he turned down the plea for around 2,000 extra British troops - to add
to the 7,200 already stationed around Basra - because it would conflict
with the government's hopes of scaling down Britain's Iraq presence in the
coming months.