Defence

Coalition Military Presence in Iraq

The Multi-National Force (Iraq) remains at the formal request of the Iraqi Government, under a mandate from the United Nations, set out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1723.

The mission of MNF-I is, in partnership with the Iraqi Government to organise, train, and equip the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in order to create a security environment that permits the handover of security to the Iraqis, and to conduct operations against former regime extremists and foreign terrorists.

In total 25 Countries contribute to the MNF-I: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine, UK, and the US.

Command and control of MNF-I military operations is the responsibility of the US-led Multi-National Corps – Iraq (or MNC-I) which is headquartered in Baghdad. MNC-I activities in Iraq are divided into six geographical regions, each with its own Multi-National Force and associated headquarters. The UK is the lead nation for Multi-National Division (South East), or MND(SE), which covers the South-Eastern area of Iraq including Basrah, Iraq's second largest city.

The responsibility for security in seven provinces (Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan in the UK-led area of responsibility in the south-east, and elsewhere in Iraq, Najaf, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk) has been handed over to Iraqi control. Coalition forces will continue to support Iraqi forces in these provinces if called upon to do so. We expect to see the democratically elected Iraqi Government and its Security Forces continue to progressively take responsibility for security across the country, as and when conditions on the ground permit.

UK Military Personnel in Iraq

UK military operations in Iraq are being conducted under the name 'Operation TELIC'. UK forces in Iraq are a part of the United-States-led Multi-National Force – Iraq (or MNF-I).

Following the most recent roulement of UK forces in Iraq, announced by the Prime Minister on 21 February 2007, there are now around 5,500 British troops serving in Iraq. This roulement was a routine rotation of UK Armed Forces in Southern Iraq, and completed in May 2007.

The total number of UK personnel deployed on Operation TELIC as a whole is higher – around 6,800 – as this includes personnel involved in the operation but not situated in Iraq itself (for example Royal Navy ships in the Gulf).

The number of UK military personnel deployed in Iraq has changed over time:

• Peak during Major Combat Operations (March/April 2003): 46,000
• At the end of May 2003: 18,000
• At the end of May 2004: 8,600
• At the end of May 2005: 8,500
• At the end of May 2006: 7,200
• At the end of May 2007: 5,500

The overwhelming majority of UK personnel in Iraq are based in south east Iraq, with a small number based in Baghdad and around the country to liaise and co-ordinate with other coalition and Iraqi forces. A complete list of UK Forces deployed on Operation TELIC can be found here here.

UK forces' efforts in Iraq are mainly targeted at helping the Iraqis develop their own effective security forces (known as "Security Sector Reform"). Assisting the Iraqis to improve the security environment remains our top priority.

Along with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, UK forces are also helping the Iraqis to rebuild their country after the conflict and years of neglect, and supporting the political process.

Political Progress

Iraqis adopted a new permanent constitution by referendum in October 2005, with a turnout of 63%. The constitution defines Iraq as democratic and pluralist.

Iraqis have their first ever democratically-elected government. The elections held in December 2005 saw a turnout of over 12m, or 76% of the electorate. On 20 May 2006, Iraq's new Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, announced his Government of National Unity.

The Iraqi government is fully sovereign, except in the area of security, where an agreed transition strategy is resulting in the progressive transfer of sovereign responsibility to the Iraqi government and local authorities.

The democratically elected government is properly representative of all of Iraq's major communities, as opposed to minority-based dictatorship.

Security Sector Reform across Iraq

No one is under any illusion that the security situation in parts of Iraq is extremely serious, but It should be remembered that MNF-I ended a brutal dictatorship where torture and murder were state policy.

We are building up the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) – over 345,000 members of the ISF have now been trained. Their capabilities and commitment are increasing, and they are increasingly taking the lead on operations. The Iraqi Army and Police Service are taking the lead in the Baghdad Security Plan (official name: 'Fardh al Qanoon'), with support as necessary from the Multi-National Force.

Transition from MNF to ISF control has occurred in seven provinces and is progressing steadily.

With effect from 1 January 2007, the Iraqi Ground Force Command (IGFC) assumed command of the Iraqi Army.

Security Sector Reform in UK-led MND(SE)

Baghdad and its environs account for around 80% of the violence in Iraq. The security situation is better, particularly in the north and south of the country. In the four provinces within MND(SE) – Maysan, Basrah, Dhi Qar, and Al Muthanna, there is very little sectarian conflict; the challenges are criminality, infighting between Shia factions, and the corrosive influence of the militias.

Al Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan provinces are now under Iraqi control. We hope that that Basrah can be transferred to full Iraqi control in the second half of the 2007.

The 10th Division of the Iraqi Army, based in the south, has proven itself during 'Operation SINBAD' (see below) which ran from September 2006 to March 2007). They are now planning and leading security operations in Basrah with minimal or no coalition support. The two 10th Division battalions deployed to Baghdad as part of Fardh al Qanoon arrived on time and in full strength, and have performed well.

A Provincial Joint Command Centre has been established to coordinate security in Basrah. Iraqi police and military officers sit side by side in the Centre and are mentored by coalition advisers.

The UK has helped the Iraqi police set up an Internal Affairs Department to root out unacceptable behaviour within police ranks. The corrupt Serious Crimes Unit has also been abolished.

Sufficient numbers of police stations within Basrah city are now assessed at a satisfactory standard to enable transfer of Basrah province to Iraqi control, which we expect to be announced later this year, depending on conditions.

Iraqi soldiers, police and border guards in the south will benefit from a Joint Leadership Academy which the UK is setting up in Basrah later this year. This will provide a wide range of courses to develop professional standards for Iraqi officers.

The UK has helped train Iraqi police and soldiers in the UK. Those trained have then returned to Iraq to help train others.

The Divisional Training Centre where the Iraqi Army undergoes basic training is up and running.

Operation SINBAD: Summary

In conjunction with security training and operations by MNF and Iraqi Forces, Operation SINBAD completed around 550 projects to improve the local environment including neighbourhood projects, infrastructure and agricultural development. As at March 2007 these included:

• 212km of new water pipe laid in an $18 million project which employed 2,310 people at its peak.
• Five Medium-level Electrical Distribution Projects worth $9.8million ongoing until Jul 2007 and seven other local distribution projects completed.
• 70,000 Date Palm offshoots planted with another 70,000 to be planted by June 2007 in a $12 million project to reinvigorate the regionally significant Date Palm industry.
• 336 schools refurbished and basic supplies delivered.
• 51 football pitches and other sporting facilities built or refurbished.
• 41 Projects to supply equipment of refurbish medical facilities completed.
• 29 Area Clearance Projects carried out.
• Six footbridges have been refurbished.
• 81 other miscellaneous projects.
• 24,478 short term jobs created.

Although Operation SINBAD has now been completed, 'SINBAD-type' operations continue to be carried out in and around Basrah by ISF with coalition support as required.

Reconstruction across Iraq

By 2003 Iraq had suffered more than 20 years of conflict, mismanagement and chronic under-investment under Saddam Hussein's regime.

The UK pledged £544m for reconstruction projects at the Madrid Conference in 2003. The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, increased this by £100m when he visited Basrah in November 2006, and the Foreign Secretary pledged a further £100m in May 2007, making a total UK commitment of £744m. The funding has helped in the following areas:

• Over five million children have received life-saving vaccinations. There has been a resulting decline in the prevalence of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and malaria. And 1,000 healthcare facilities have been rehabilitated or equipped and more than 6,000 staff trained.
• Access to safe drinking water dropped by one third under the previous regime. Now, twenty potable water treatment facilities have been built or rehabilitated, and nine centralized sewage treatment facilities have been rehabilitated. By late 2007, one million people will have improved access to water.
• Iraq dropped from 76 to 126 on the Human Development Index under Saddam Hussein. Now, with the support of the international community, for example, education services are being restored, thousands of teachers are being trained, over 5,000 schools have been rehabilitated and a further 450 are in progress.

Other significant progress:

• Oil production is now around two million barrels per day. Production and export facilities are much more secure.
• Increased oil production and prices have increased Iraq's revenues from $US18bn (2002) to $US29bn (2005,2006) and a projected rise to $31bn (2007).
• More than 100,000 primary and 40,000 secondary teachers have been trained.
• Over five million children have received life-saving vaccinations.
• 2,500 Iraqi NGOs are now registered with the Iraqi government and trade unions.
• 216 judges, lawyers and officials have been trained in International Human Rights Law.
• Over 3,000 women and young people in the south have been trained in business skills.
• Over 180 journalists have been trained in independent journalism and feature writing.
• 250 newspapers and magazines have been launched. New TV and radio stations have been set up.

Reconstruction in Basrah

In the last decade of Saddam's regime, the central government systematically starved Basrah and the south of funding, and also imposed various punitive measures such as the draining of the marshes, with inevitable damage to infrastructure and economic prospects. Improvements have been made in:

Basrawis have benefited from:

• Electricity transmission and distribution networks repaired post-conflict.
• Transmission lines from Hartha power station to Basrah city repaired – securing electricity supplies for 1.5 million residents.
• Repairing the Hartha power station chimney – securing 170MW - equivalent to enough power for a 24hr supply to 340,000 people (about as many people as live in Cardiff).
• Added and secured 350 MW of electricity and will be adding or securing a further 120 MW over the next 6 months. This is the equivalent to what is needed to provide 24 hours of power for around 1 million people.

Water and sanitation

• Replaced 200 km of water mains, repaired over 5,000 leaks, cleared out 7,000 septic tanks and cleared over 40 kms of drains.
• Constructed a water training centre in Basrah to increase the skills of Iraqi engineers in water treatment and leakage repair. 200 engineers are currently being trained.
• Refurbished a reverse osmosis unit to supply potable water to about 500,000 people.
• Technical advice was provided for a major sewage installation in Al Amarah, Maysan Province, providing up to half the city's population with access to a piped system and replacing open sewage channels.
• Improved water supply to 60,000 people in Al Amtahiyah (Basrah Province).

DFID power and water projects will employ around 450 people, generate almost 100,000 workdays and secure around 17,000 workdays per year for operation and maintenance.

Institution-building

• The focus of our efforts has been to build capacity of local authorities to plan for, access and spend central and local funds.
• In Basrah, supported production of the first ever Provincial Development Strategy by the Provincial Council.
• On the back of this work, Basrah Provincial Council was able to access $US172 million of central government funding in 2006 and $205 million in 2007 (after receiving none in 2005) and is undertaking more than 300 local reconstruction projects based on this work.
• Refurbished Governorate offices; trained Governorates officials
  Built up financial management and budgeting capacity of governorates.
• 216 Iraqi judges, lawyers and prosecutors trained in human rights, international humanitarian law, and independence of the judiciary.

Private sector development

• Established a local Business Journal and Business Information Centre.
• Over 3,000 women and young people in the south trained in business and enterprise skills.

Agriculture

• 60 Agricultural directorate staff trained in administrative, IT and planning skills.
• Restoration of the marshlands in Basrah, Maysan and Dhi Qar. Return of Marsh Arabs.
• Growth in tomato, rice and wheat production.

The cost of UK Military Operations in Iraq

The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of military operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred, over and above planned expenditure on defence. The costs of our operations in Iraq come from the Treasury Special Reserve.

The overall cost of operations in Iraq in 2002–2003 was £848M.

The overall cost of operations in Iraq in 2003–2004 was £1311M. These costs include the costs of combat operations from 1 April 2003, the costs incurred in maintaining and supporting subsequent peacekeeping operations and the costs of recuperating operational capability afterwards.

The cost for 2004–2005 was £910M.

The cost for 2005–06 was £958M.

The cost for 2006–07 was approx £956M.

Numbers of Internees held by the UK in Iraq

Security internment by Multi-National Forces in Iraq (MNF-I) is authorised by United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1546 and further extended by UNSCRs 1637 and 1723 which enable the coalition to intern for imperative reasons of security. Our right to intern under the UNSCR was confirmed in the UK Court of Appeal in 2006.

The power to intern is not taken lightly. It is a power that is used sparingly. We have no interest in interning individuals in Iraq other than to protect Iraqi security personnel and civilians, and British servicemen and women, from attack.

To ensure a stable security situation it is important that those individuals who are trying to jeopardise the situation are stopped. In some cases, this means internment.

Cases for internment are reviewed regularly in a process that involves the Iraqi authorities. The UK allows all internees to have access to lawyers and to their families on a regular basis in accordance with international law.

When possible internee's cases are transferred to the Iraqi criminal justice system for prosecution or are released when the grounds for internment no longer exist.

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has regular and open access to our detention facility and all our internees. The facility has also been visited by a team from the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights.

From 1 January 2007, the Ministry of Defence has published the following figures for the numbers of Internees held by the UK in Iraq:

Iraq Internee Numbers Table

Updates will be made monthly to the number of internees being held.