General Sir Richard Dannatt said troops should leave "sometime soon" because they were exacerbating the security situation.

There is almost zero trust between the two sides. The British troops operate as an occupying force; not as troops supporting our own forces.

Until now there has been no meaningful co-operation between British troops and the local government that I can see. They work according to their own thinking and policy.

Even if they are trying to consult the local government, they are the ones steering the situation, both on a sectarian level and on security issues.

I'm not saying they should take their orders from local politicians, but they should co-operate in a meaningful way.

At the beginning it wasn't so bad, but now there is almost zero trust between the two sides.

They drive through the streets of town without knowing who the local government officers are, they don't know where they are going or what they're doing.

They raid so many houses and arrest so many people and the government knows nothing about it beforehand. So we don't trust them.

They should announce a timetable for their departure. I believe Basra is ready for the troops to leave now.Most of the people here in Basra are hoping the British soldiers will leave.There should be a timetable for the departure of UK troops.

Democracy is something that's missing in Iraq. People don't understand what that means. If you want democracy you have to educate people - and then you can apply it.

If they work towards leaving a year from now that would be good. Otherwise they will be staying here for many years.