U.K. Prime Minister Announces Troop Decrease

According to a press release from the website of 10 Downing Street, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Monday that he is planning to withdraw more British troops from Iraq. The withdrawal will leave the U.K.s number of troops in Iraq at 2,500.

Brown announced the troop withdrawal while outlining his overall strategy for Iraq in a session of Parliament. Brown's statement to Parliament came a week after the PM visited Iraq and met with military and political figures in Baghdad and troops in Basra.

Brown began his statement with solemn acknowledgment and gratitude towards the British soldiers that lost their lives in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Brown reaffirmed his commitment to the U.K.s original goals for Iraq including: bringing together the political groupings in Iraq; insuring the security of the Iraqi people, Iraqi government, and British troops; and finally working to establish a thriving economy that the Iraqi people have a part in.

Brown took care to point out his agreement with and commitment to the United Nations mandate calling for the Iraqi people to determine their own political future. The mandate also calls for: "the International Community, particularly countries in the region and Iraq's neighbors, to support the Iraqi people in their pursuit of peace, stability, security, democracy and prosperity".

In addition to affirming his support for the U.N. mandate Brown laid out a laundry list of goals that he expects the Iraqi government to achieve, carefully detailing the measures he believes are necessary to bring peace and stability to the region.