Army chiefs deny al-Sadr's claim of victory in Iraq

The British military yesterday denied claims by Muqtada al-Sadr that UK troops were retreating from Iraq in defeat, and accused the radical Shia cleric and his followers of trying to "create the false impression that they were driving us out".

In an interview with The Independent, Sadr said: "The British have given up and know they will be leaving Iraq soon. They are retreating because of the resistance they have faced. Without that they would have stayed for much longer, there is no doubt.

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"The British have realised this is a war they should not be fighting," he added.

Asked about the claims, Major Mike Shearer said al-Sadr wanted to claim victory as British troops took part in a planned withdrawal.

"The malign influences in the city, we have always predicted, would raise their game to create the false impression that they were driving us out," he said. "That is not the case. The reality is it makes sense, the closer we get to achieving Iraqi control in Basra province, that we reduce our operational footprint in the city and allow the Iraqi security forces to take the lead in policing security of their own city."

British troops have so far withdrawn from three of the four provinces of Iraq and in Basra - Iraq's second largest city - they have pulled out of two of the three bases they have used since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Al-Sadr - whose Mehdi Army is fighting coalition forces - also suggested that the UN could perform a new political role in Iraq, replacing US and UK forces.

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, yesterday met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani. He echoed the calls for UN involvement. "We would be ready to participate here beside the Iraqis."

The UN Security Council recently decided to expand its operation in Iraq for the first time since it withdrew from its Baghdad headquarters after a bomb killed 22 there in 2003.