British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that British troops still have "an important job to do" in Iraq, according to the report by the Sky News on Tuesday.
In a letter to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, Brown refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.
"It is wrong to say that the continuing presence of UK forces in Iraq will achieve little, or that they are severely restricted in what they can do," Brown wrote.
"UK forces in Basra continue to have the capability to strike against the militias and provide overall security." said Brown.
"They will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities and security forces to get them to the point where they can assume full responsibility for security." said he.
Brown insisted that British troops in Iraq still had "clear obligations to discharge."
"I am determined that our approach to Iraq should be based on the principle that we will fulfill our obligations to the government and people of Iraq and the United Nations," said Brown.
"These obligations are set out in United Nations resolutions. That is why I reject your approach of a predetermined exit timetable that would undermine our international obligations, as well as hindering the task of our armed forces and increasing the risks they face." said he.
Decisions on British troops level would be made "on the basis of advice from our military and other experts, taking fully into consideration the safety of our armed forces," he said.
"I will do nothing that puts at risk the ability of our armed forces, who have done and are doing a magnificent job, to accomplish their work." he added.
Britain, U.S. staunchest ally in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, stations the second largest number of troops, following the United States, in the war-torn country.
Currently, Britain has some 5,500 troops in southern Iraq. And Since 2003, some 159 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq.
Source: Xinhua
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