London: British troops are no longer necessary for the security of Iraq and should go home, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in a newspaper interview published here today.
"We thank them for the role they have played, but I think that their stay is not necessary for maintaining security and control," he told the Times.
"There might be a need for their experience in training and some technological issues, but as a fighting force, I don't think that is necessary."
Maliki also criticised the decision by Britain earlier this year to move its troops from a palace in Basra, which came under British responsibility after the 2003 US-led invasion, to their base at the airport.
"At the time Basra was not under control of the local government, but in the hands of the gangs and militias.... (British forces) stayed away from the confrontation, which gave the gangs and the militias the chance to control the city," he said.
He added: "The situation deteriorated so badly that corrupted youths were carrying swords and cutting the throats of women and children. The citizens of Basra called out for our help... And we moved to regain the city."
Asked by the newspaper whether he thought Britain s move had been premature, he said: "Very."
The prime minister also criticised Britain's deal with Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, Iraq's largest Shiite militia, to stop mortar and rocket attacks.
"Of course we were not comfortable and we conveyed our discomfort and regarded it as the beginning of a disaster," he said.
