UK to commit 20,000 troops to US-led strike against Iraq

The Sunday Telegraph said Britain would contribute a division of 20,000 soldiers, made up of armoured and infantry brigades, to a US militar...

The Sunday Telegraph said Britain would contribute a division of 20,000 soldiers, made up of armoured and infantry brigades, to a US military strike to oust Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein.

Britain’s Defence Ministry called the report ‘‘speculative’’ but said it was working very closely with Washington’s ‘‘war on terror’’.

The division of troops would be supported by at least 10,000 other personnel, including up to 50 combat jets and an aircraft carrier group including frigates, destroyers and a submarine, the report said.

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The offensive would probably take place early next year, it said.

‘‘Troops have been pulled back from the Balkans and Afghanistan in preparation for a spring attack on Iraq,’’ the newspaper quoted a senior Defence official as saying.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman played down the report. He, however, said that Britain remained committed to supporting US President George W. Bush’s response to the September 11 attacks.

‘‘It’s all speculative. We’ve not made any announcement about future activities,’’ the spokesman said.

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‘‘But we work very closely with the Americans, and we are in the war against terrorism for the long term,’’ he added.

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