It’s money that did that.”I take a wander through the bright, airy orthopaedic ward which has been totally redesigned – from being a grim Victorian labyrinth – during the past year. Recently, the Prime Minister implored of us: “When it comes to the public services, don’t believe the headlines. No bad thing for a people who don’t want to be occupied.But the Americans are not leaving Iraq and the Iraqis know this. On my way back to Baghdad, I see two of the new recruits in the middle sandswept parade ground.

They are taking their military trousers down and pulling on jeans, right there in front of the Americans. Time to go home for the night, the war over for another 12 hours Until the Americans leave. Why does this remind me of Afghanistan?
More from Robert Fisk. I have been in hospital for the past week, and it’s all Tony Blair’s fault. The dams on the Euphrates west of Fallujah, the walls of the old RAF Habbaniya airbase which is now home to the 82nd Airborne, the street patrols in Baghdad.

Even now, you see fewer US patrols in the old Caliphate capital. The Americans aren’t leaving on 30 June, of course; they are retreating to secure barracks The airport will become an Iraqi responsibility. Iraqis will risk their lives to defend it from the “resistance”.And it dawns on me that this will happen in a thousand other areas of Iraq. The US occupation forces fly their transports into Baghdad airport and won’t leave their security to Iraqis. But they could let the new Iraqi army do the dirty work, hunting and patrolling in the grass and muck outside the 1,000 metre perimeter at night, guarding the perimeter wire, withdrawing the massive US presence to save American lives.And then I remember that most famous of dates – 30 June – when Iraq’s “sovereignty” will be handed over by the Americans to the American-appointed Iraqi “Governing Council”, and it begins to make sense. Does he like it, I ask? “Boring but not much sleep,” he smiles.

“Too many mortars and too much gunfire.”Overhead, a four-engined military transport aircraft is groaning into the sky, turning tight 1,000-metre circles to keep outside missile range Go over the 1,000 metres and you can be hit. It streams four dirty fuel trails behind its engines as they fight to gain height.At the terminal stands an American officer in his forties, a lieutenant colonel in civvies but with a flak jacket covered with camouflage cloth And how does he like the airport? “We’re leaving here soon We’re leaving the airport. The Iraqis are taking over.” In other words, I suggest, the Americans are going to let the Iraqi army or the Iraqi “Civil Defence” or any of the other fancy Iraqi outfits being trained by the Americans, take the nightly fire of the resistance here? “That’s pretty much it,” he said.I don’t entirely believe this. The man with the stars says he wants to go to the building where the soldiers are “Get on the truck,” says Mr Wilkins.