Airstrip One

Iraqi Overstretch - 4th January 2003, 20.17

Documents have revealed that the British army may be involved in an occupation of Iraq for up to three years on a sectoral or countrywide basis. The number of soldiers mooted for this task is in the region of 20,000.

Whilst a short, sharp war may now be justifiable, given the costs of a u-turn, such a large commitment for peacekeeping duties is detrimental to our national security. This is over a fifth of our army and they may well be needed to defend British interests elsewhere, especially as we may be stirring up a hornet's nest here.

Once the war is over, the majority of our soldiers should return home and any occupation force required can be structured on a multinational basis from America's European allies.