BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)  -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has dismissed a suggestion that a withdrawal by UK troops from their base in the southern Iraqi city of Basra was a defeat, insisting it was an "organized" move. A British army corporal lowers the Union Flag during a ceremony in Basra on Monday. Brown, speaking as 500 British troops completed their withdrawal from Basra Palace, said Monday troops would still be able to intervene in the city in "certain circumstances." Asked if the move was a "pull-out in defeat ... a retreat," Brown told the BBC: "Let me make this very clear. This is a pre-planned, and this is an organized move from Basra Palace to Basra Air Station."
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UK PM Gordon Brown defends withdrawal of UK troops from Iraqis base
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Move from Basra Palace consolidates British troops at Basra's airport
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Brown: Troops can still intervene in the city in "certain circumstances"
Previously, the British had handed over two other bases to the @placeholder.