Brigadier James Bashall, Commander of 1 Mechanized Brigade, accepting responsibility from the outgoing commander, Brigadier Tim Evans.

TIDWORTH-based 1 Mechanized Brigade has formally taken charge of operations in southern Iraq, the UK area of responsibility, from 19 Light Brigade.

 Brigadier James Bashall, the commander of 1 Mechanized Brigade, accepted the command at a flag exchange ceremony in Basra from Brigadier Tim Evans, commander 19 Light Brigade.

 Brigadier Bashall said that the next six months would be a challenge but remained focussed on his mission. "Hopefully during our tenure we will see the Iraqi people take formal control of Basra, the surrounding area, and regional elections," he said.

 The UK forces' efforts in Iraq are mainly targeted at helping the Iraqis develop their own effective security forces and assisting them to improve the security environment remains the main priority.

 Head of the Basra Emergency Security Committee, General Ali Hamadi, said in May that he had growing confidence in the Province's security situation and the capability of the Iraqi Security Forces to assume greater security responsibility. Brigadier Bashall is keen that this should continue and reiterated comments made by his predecessor.

 "The Multinational Forces have always said that we would reduce our presence once the Iraqi Security Forces began to take back responsibility for security and we are keeping our promise."

 The Brigade numbers 5,500 soldiers and is scheduled to return in December.