Britain drafts plan for major Iraq pullout

When asked about the article however, a defence ministry spokesman stuck to the official position that British troops would be on the ground in Iraq for as long as necessary to support the Iraqi government.

"In what would represent the biggest operational shake-up involving the armed forces since the Iraq war, the first stage of a run-down in military operations is likely to take place this autumn with a handover of security to Iraqis in at least two southern provinces," the Financial Times said.

Without citing sources, the newspaper reported that the plans depended on the ability of Iraq's home-grown security forces to take over responsibility for peacekeeping operations -- a job they have so far failed to do in violent areas in Baghdad and to the north.

British forces, however, are based in the Shia-dominated south of the country, where there are far fewer rebel attacks compared with the US monitored Sunni areas in and around the Iraqi capital.

"Senior UK officers believe the four south-east provinces under UK command, which are largely Shia and have not seen the same violence as more Sunni-dominated areas north of Baghdad, may be ready for a handover earlier than those under US command," the Financial Times reported.