British prime minister Gordon Brown and his Iraqi counterpart Nouri Maliki said today that UK forces will have “completed their tasks” in the first half of 2009 and will then leave the country.
Mr Brown flew into Baghdad today to discuss plans for the final drawdown of British troops in Iraq with Mr Maliki.
The Iraqi council of ministers yesterday agreed a new resolution allowing British troops to remain in the country until the end of July.
Their current United Nations mandate expires at the end of the month.
British officials predict major withdrawals within a few months and say the resolution merely set a last possible date for the vast majority of Britain's 4,100-strong contingent to be gone.
Mr Brown is expected to confirm the outlines of the plans today before updating the House of Commons in greater detail tomorrow.
PA