Prime Minister Tony Blair faces strong dissent from British lawmakers over a decision to redeploy some of his country’s troops to Baghdad, as per a request from U.S. government officials.

American military commanders asked Britain to relocate a small number of soldiers to the U.S.-controlled sector of Northern Iraq to free up American soldiers for other work detail. Supposedly, the call for an increased military presence comes a as a response to increased insurgencies during the current Ramadan period.

U.K. government officials have not said how many troops might be redeployed, or to where. Yet military sources have said that if the request was granted, Britain's reserve regiment, the 650-strong First Battalion Black Watch, would be the first choice.

Party opposition
Forty-five lawmakers - mainly from Blair's Labour Party - signed a motion demanding a vote in the House of Commons on whether the request should be granted. Regardless of the number of petition-signing members, such a motion cannot force the government to hold a vote, but the device is typically used by lawmakers to register concern and prompt debate. Many are suspicious the request is politically motivated and created to help Blair’s ally and friend, George W. Bush, before the November presidential elections.

'We are about to enter a period of increased activity in Iraq. This is nothing to do with the American elections,' Blair told the House of Commons. 'It has everything to do with the Iraqi elections in January.'

Blair has insisted the request came through the military chain of command and not as a personal plea from Bush. A reconnaissance team will assess conditions in the area, before ministers decide whether to grant the request.

Britain's Role in the U.S. Conflict
Britain has some 9,000 troops in Iraq, primarily in the relatively peaceful area around Basra. Sixty-eight British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, compared with more than 1,000 U.S. troops. Sending British soldiers into the U.S.-controlled sector, where there are more attacks by insurgents, carries a risk of higher casualties and would be politically sensitive for Blair.

The deeply unpopular war in Iraq has damaged Blair's credibility and trust ratings recently. Labour lawmaker Andrew Mackinlay warned Blair not to test the patience of his lawmakers, many of whom are still perturbed over the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq despite their country's committment of troops.

'We have to say thus far and no further,' Mackinlay said earlier Wednesday. 'We have given 110 percent and I think they are just asking too much of us.'

Since U.K. involvement in the Iraq conflict began, several lawmakers have asked why America, which has some 130,000 troops in Iraq, needs British troops to plug a gap.

'I think it is important to understand this. Although it is true that there are 130,000 American troops ... not all of those troops are suitable for the particular tasks they are being called upon to do,' Blair said. 'I believe we are right to be in Iraq. I believe we can be immensely proud of the contribution our British troops have made there,' he responded.