British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has vowed to remove half of Britain’s troops in Iraq by next spring. The drawdown will reduce the number of British troops from 5,000 to 2,500. Gordon Brown made the announcement before Parliament.

Gordon Brown: “With the Iraqis already assuming security responsibility, we expect to establish provincial Iraqi corps in Basra province in the next two months, as already announced by the prime minister of Iraq, move to the first stage of overwatch, reduce numbers in southern Iraq from at the start of September 5,500 to 4,500 immediately after provincial Iraqi control, and then to 4,000, and then in the second stage of overwatch in the spring, and guided as always by advice of military commanders, reduce to around 2,500 troops, with a further decision about the next phase made then.”

Britain originally sent 45,000 troops as part of the initial Iraq invasion. Gordon Brown said there is a possibility that all British troops would be out of Iraq by 2008. While Brown addressed Parliament, thousands of antiwar activists gathered outside to call for the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.