Basra violence won't change U.S. drawdown

POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C., April 1 (UPI) -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says that the recent surge of violence in Basra, Iraq, will not affect the U.S. troop drawdown.

The violence in Basra and southern Baghdad spiked after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered Iraqi forces on an offensive aimed at cracking down on militias in the region. Figures compiled from police and U.S. military reports say more than 1,200 Iraqis civilians and security personnel were killed in the clashes during March.

The offensive had raised concerns that the U.S. troop drawdown to 15 brigade combat teams by the end of July would be in jeopardy. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a crowd of service members from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina and neighboring Fort Bragg that the redeployment of the surge brigades is still on schedule, the American Forces Press Service reported.

While Mullen said the U.S. troop redeployment would not be affected, British Defense Secretary Des Browne said Tuesday that a planned troop withdrawal of 1,500 British troops stationed around the Basra region has been postponed.

Despite taking a political hit for the offensive, Maliki is calling the operation a success. Mullen praised Maliki's decision to go into Basra.

"I think what happened in respect to Basra, where the prime minister is taking some significant steps, internal to his sovereign country, with his own forces -- have been positive," Mullen said in a statement. "This is their country, and taking steps in this direction is positive. Will we learn some lessons from this … absolutely."