The United Kingdom has announced that, it will be pulling out its forces currently operating in Iraq. The decision comes in the wake of a resolution that did not get the approval of the Iraqi government, wherein, British forces were given permission to stay and conduct operations, to protect the Iraqi oil platforms. British soldiers will now pull out of Iraq and back to their bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia.

According to the British Defense Ministry, the current situation calls for a withdrawal of about 100-150 British navy personnel who were in charge of training the Iraqi troops and protecting the oil platforms. In the absence of the UK troops, the United States of America will be taking over the duties of the British contingent. However, a current and standing agreement with the Iraqi government does allow a handful of British soldiers to stay in Iraq and provide crucial training to the Iraqi soldiers, who are expected to take control of the volatile city of Basra, after the complete withdrawal of British forces in the region.

According to the British Embassy spokesperson,Jawwad Syed,

“The guys who were doing the training are temporarily moving out to Kuwait while we talk to the Iraqi government about what we might do in the interim,” Syed said. “We have general broad support for our agreement … we’re hopeful that when we have the next parliamentary session, we should achieve a ratification.”

Via Associated Press.