BASRA, Iraq (AP)-- Many Shiites in this southern port city say they want British troops to leave, though the region is still bloodied by a persistent grind of killings, including Sunni insurgent bombings.

Several prominent Basra leaders agreed with an assessment by Britain's army chief that the British presence only worsens the violence and the soldiers should withdraw soon. Gen. Richard Dannatt backpedaled from the comments he made in an interview a day earlier, saying he meant troops should leave within years, but the statements caused a political storm in Britain.

In Basra, Shiites insist the British presence only provides a target for attackers seeking to end the "occupation" — and some said the troops are doing nothing to rein in party-backed Shiite militias that have risen to prominence.

"To tell the truth, (the British) have caused the chaos and the security decline in southern Iraq, especially Basra, by their leniency with the militias and their parties," said Ghali Nijm, head of the Shiite Wifaq party in Basra. Added Aqil Talib, a member of the Basra provincial council from the Shiite Fadila party: "The British presence is no longer desired, as is that of the Americans and others, even though the British are kinder than the Americans."

It's a change in attitude from early in the Iraqi conflict, when Shiites across the country welcomed U.S.-led coalition troops that toppled Saddam Hussein, who had persecuted the Shiite majority. British troops in Basra were even praised for taking a gentler approach to policing the region than American troops further north, who were seen as heavy-handed.

But with the violence wearing on, anti-U.S. sentiment has been growing among Shiites across Iraq, and with it the feeling that international troops should go. The militia of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which deeply opposes the U.S.-British presence, has been growing in power.

The central government in Baghdad underlined that it wants U.S. and British troops to remain, saying they are needed to contain the violence and train Iraqi forces.

In early October, British and Iraqi forces began a neighborhood-by-neighborhood sweep of Basra — code-named "Operation Sinbad" — similar to one launched in August by U.S. troops in Baghdad. The sweep has gone through three districts — including two with a heavy militia presence — clearing out weapons, arresting about 100 people and launching reconstruction projects.

"The presence of these forces is necessary so that they can participate in establishing stability in Iraq," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

But there has still been steady bloodshed, and it has increased this year with the swelling of sectarian killings across the country. Basra province — home to about 3 million people, where most of the 7,000 British troops are based — sees a constant toll of bombings, shootings and kidnappings.

They come in part from Sunni insurgent attacks against British troops and Iraqi civilians with bombings, mortars and rocket fire. But increasingly the area has seen killings between Shiites as party-backed militias vie for influence. "The British forces entered Iraq and liberated it from the Saddam regime," said one Basra resident, Essam Mohammed.

"Since they have fully accomplished their mission, they should now leave Iraq ... because they are creating some obstacles and problems for the Iraqi people."