British PM Firm On Pullout From Iraq
Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the British mission in Iraq will end no later than May 31, 2009.
Brown made the announcement Wednesday during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. He says he plans to provide details to the British parliament about troop withdrawal on Thursday.
Brown also called for the unconditional release of five British hostages held in Iraq since 2007.
His announcement follows news that the Iraqi government issued a resolution calling for all non-U.S. troops to withdraw by the end of July.
Britain is the second-largest contributor to the international military coalition in Iraq after the United States. About 4,000 British troops are now in Iraq, mostly in the country's south.
In other developments:
In Baghdad, Iraqi police say the toll from a double-bombing in eastern Baghdad that targeted traffic police has increased to at least 18 people dead and 52 others wounded.
An Iraqi police official says the first blast Wednesday morning was from a car bomb. Moments later, a roadside bomb went off nearby targeting people rushing to the scene.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.