Posted on 11/26/2004 1:36:31 PM PST by Ginifer
SOLDIERS of The Black Watch stormed a key insurgent stronghold in Iraq’s “Triangle of Death” yesterday, bursting into houses and arresting scores of males aged 14 and over.
More than 700 soldiers and 116 vehicles, including 42 Warrior armoured assault vehicles, were deployed in an operation that lasted for 12 hours. It was the first large-scale assault by The Black Watch since the regiment moved from Basra to Camp Dogwood, 25 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Soldiers in night-vision goggles kicked down doors and threw stun grenades into houses in the affluent farm and village area known as Kariguli on the east bank of the Euphrates.
Intelligence officers describe the area, also known as Millionaires’ Row, as a “hornets’ nest” of foreign “jihadist” fighters and Saddam Hussein loyalists. The daily rocket and mortar attacks on Camp Dogwood are believed to have come from the area. The regiment has lost four soldiers since it began its duties on November 3.
“It’s payback time,” one sergeant said yesterday. “We have been looking forward to getting out there and stopping these people attacking us.”
The British troops’ night attack, which continued throughout yesterday morning, gave the insurgents little time to organise a fightback. Instead they hid their weapons and fled.
A US Spectre “flying tank”, which provided air cover with Cobra helicopters, reported residents moving belongings to other houses.
Only a handful of shots were fired and there were no casualties on either side. The soldiers arrested more than 100 men and detained 24 for further questioning. Senior officers hope that these men will lead them to the insurgents.
They were taken blindfolded and with their hands tied to a large, white-pillared house where they were screened by Royal Military Police. They offered no resistance.
The Black Watch raid was not aimed at winning hearts and minds. Walls were knocked down and doors smashed in an attempt to alarm the insurgents and take them by surprise. The mission, named Operation Tobruk, was timed to coincide with simultaneous attacks by American soldiers on two other villages.
Lieutenant-Colonel James Cowan, the regiment’s commanding officer, rallied his officers with a speech in which he referred to The Black Watch’s glorious past and the threat posed by reorganisation. He said: “This may be the last attack for the 1st Battalion The Black Watch. Let us make sure that it goes as well as anything we have done in the past and is one that we can be proud of.”
The soldiers gathered in the camp at midnight. At 1.40am they began the five-mile journey across the desert to their target. As loudspeakers blared Scottish pipe tunes, including Scotland the Brave, the 34-ton Warriors sped along the main road and turned down lanes leading to houses near the Euphrates. The Black Watch, assisted by a small number of Royal Marine Commandos, Welsh Guards and 15 balaclava-clad members of the Iraq special forces, began their assault.
The first building was a mosque: it was empty. The soldiers moved on and in the second house found a man they believe is a “high-value target” responsible for bombings and kidnappings. Soldiers swarmed all over the area, each platoon with a designated list of houses to search. They found the occasional AK47, but no significant weapons caches.
Major Alastair Aitken, in charge of Black Watch A Company, which led the assault, said he was pleased with the outcome and with the number of detainees. “I’ve always said that this mission was about people more than weapons. We’ve achieved our objectives without taking any casualties.
“I was surprised that none of the insurgents fought back, although it was always more likely that they would try to bluff their way past the cordon.”
# British troops and Iraqi National Guardsmen raided houses south of Basra after the arrest of five armed Arab foreign fighters who had fled Fallujah and were allegedly planning an attack on the city. Thirty-six men were arrested and weapons and ammunition seized.
Ah, working as a team always pays off.
excellent work
Is this any way to run a quagmire?
Arresting them solves nothing in the long term. They need to be killed before they can breed more jihadists.
This is one group of guys in skirts that you do NOT want to mess with! Great job, Lads!
The only way to win a war.
My wife, a member of the United Empire Loyalists, is the descendant of an 18th Century sergeant in the Black Watch from Aberfeldy in Scotland. She and I are very proud of the Regiment today! God Bless them!
I beleive the old saying was "Once you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow"
Hey, they can't call them Warrior vehicles. Some Native American tribe might be offended.
Get some!!!
Awesome - simply awesome!
"As loudspeakers blared Scottish pipe tunes, including Scotland the Brave, the 34-ton Warriors sped along the main road...."
Ummmmmm..........ok, so I am of proud Scottish heritage and do not claim to be an expert in military tactics, but........ummmmmmm........errr..........ummmmm...........
Ahhhh yes! Freedom of the kilt.
"The Ladies form HELL!
That's what the Germans called them in WW1.
bttt
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