British soldiers began to roll out of southern Iraq on a risky mission nearer Baghdad as Tokyo stood firm after militants linked to Iraq’s most wanted man threatened to behead a Japanese hostage.Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has warned of escalating violence in the runup to elections promised in January, but has pledged to restore stability to the country in time for the landmark polls — by force if necessary. To this end, Britain agreed last week to a controversial US request to move 850 crack troops from the southern city of Basra closer to Baghdad as US soldiers focus on wresting the restive hub of Fallujah from rebel control.Full Story