An Iraqi soldier flashes a victory sign as he holds the Iraqi flag on the gate of Basra Palace, in Basra, 550 km (342 miles) south of Baghdad September 3, 2007. British troops quit the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday, an Iraqi general said, ending the British presence in the oil hub for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. [Reuters]