UK: Ministers hope to delay troop decision

"The all-out US assault on Falluja is likely to be delayed until after the American presidential elections, but Tony Blair may face a decision before then on whether British troops will provide a support role in the US sector, Whitehall sources said yesterday.

"Ministers have been caught badly off balance by the widespread assumption that they were preparing to bolster the US military as a political demonstration of support for George Bush ahead of the November 2 poll.

"Amid signs of a serious backbench revolt, ministers would like to defer a decision until after the US poll. They were last night holding talks with Labour backbenchers to forestall a full-scale rebellion, re-assuring them the request had come from the military and was totally focused on ensuring credible nationwide elections in Iraq." [My emphasis above]

Full text at The Guardian