The British army is being told to prepare for an occupation of Iraq for up to three years in the event of the downfall of President Saddam Hussein's regime, the BBC reported today.
It quoted Ministry of Defense sources as saying that many British troops being sent to Kuwait would probably be used for peacekeeping and "rearguard" duties rather than in combat at the front lines.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has committed 30,000 troops, 120 tanks and a naval task force led by the aircraft carrier Ark Royalto a potential US-led war to rid Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction and bring down Saddam.
Plans to deploy 60 Royal Air Force fighter jets and support aircraft to the Gulf region are expected to be announced this week.
Mr Ashbourne, a director of London-based defense consultants Ashbourne-Beaver Associates, said it would be "more politically acceptable" for the international community to have British forces leading an occupation.
"One of the things that many Arab states are very worried about is an American-led peacekeeping force after the conflict is over," Mr Ashbourne said. "There are great concerns that the Americans want to impose their type of democracy on Iraq".
AFP