UK troops to exit Iraq by next June

British troops will begin withdrawing from Iraq in March and will mostly be gone by June, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said yesterday.

Britain has about 4,000 troops in southern Iraq. It expects to begin withdrawing them after regional elections planned for next month, the ministry said, confirming reports in British media.

The number of troops will fall to 300-400 by midyear, the reports said.