Britain’s decision to “flee” Iraq shows the insurgency is stronger than ever, al-Qaeda’s number two said on Sunday, after British forces transferred security control in Basra province to the Iraqis.

In a 98-minute al-Qaeda videotape with English subtitles, Ayman Al-Zawahiri said that recent reports from Iraq reveal “an increase in the strength of the Mujahideen and a deterioration in the Americans’ conditions, despite their desperate attempts to deceive and mislead”.

“And the decision of the British to flee is sufficient proof,” Zawahiri said in a video clip by the SITE Intelligence Group, a private US company that tracks Jihadist activities.

Al-Qaeda released the videotape to jihadist forums on Sunday, according to SITE.
Iraq formally took security control of the southern oil province of Basra from British forces on Sunday, paving the way for Britain to sharply reduce its nearly 5,000-strong troop presence.

Basra, the ninth of Iraq’s 18 provinces to be returned to local control by the US-led coalition, is the fourth and final province under British control since the 2003 invasion to be transferred.