US Military Calls British Exit From Basra in 2007 'Huge Mistake' Listen Download Embed Share Share this on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Share this on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Share this via Email (FILE) A picture taken on December 16, 2007 shows British soldiers keeping watch as a tank drives by near the airport in Basra, southern Iraq. British forces withdrew from Basra in September, 2007. ( ALI AL-SAADI/AFP / Getty ) Produced by BBC , PRI and WNYC