A page from W's playbook...

British troops may stay in Iraq until 2016

Thousands of British troops could remain in Iraq for another decade, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said yesterday.

That will leave US and British troops since...

Italy, once a significant contributor with 3,000 troops in southern Iraq, said yesterday that the last of its forces would leave the country this week. Poland said that all its 900 soldiers would be home by the end of next year. Japan withdrew this year and many other states plan to follow suit.

The two last empire builders holding fast.