You know what, if armchair commandoes on this website want to criticise British troops than so be it. Its a shame that frequent articles about UK forces gallantry and sacrifice often seem to be all but ignored on this website. But hey! The fact that people are suggesting that UK forces be moved to Afghanistan when we have been leading the fight in the South of that country for over year now (losing hundreds killed and wounded) is, I think, indicative of the level of care that people in the US hold for their allies. If it ain’t American blood being spilt, why should it bother us!
Among the peculiarities in this report are:
1) an assertion that someone said ‘get us out of here’ when not one quote in the article actually said that.
2) An assertion that UK forces don’t go into Basra when this very newspaper carried a story about a British run through the city two weeks ago.
3) This very newspaper carried a story about how UK forces were convinced NOT to re-enter Basra after two small car bomb attacks in that city: by Gen. Mohan and the Iraqis.
I’m sure that had this article been written about US forces (as many similar articles have been) it would have been dismissed as a fabrication on this website.
But denigration of your only true fighting ally seems to be perfectly acceptable around here. Its ironic that Michael Yon, an American spending time in Southern Iraq, is defending the Brits here:
“Several upcoming dispatches will focus on how the situation in Southern Iraq has dramatically improved over past months. Ironically, the character of this improvement is distinguished by the lack of violence, as well as the increasing order and normality as Iraqi Security Forces step up to greater responsibility for security in the region. Though the local leadership picture in downtown Basra is fuzzier now that British forces have pulled further back to begin performing their long-planned overwatch phase, it is clear that this natural progression in turning Basra over to Iraqi control has not catapulted the city into chaos....No one who’s actually been to this area in the last month could honestly claim it was swarming with violence. I’ve been with the Brits here for more than two weeks, during which time there have been only a few trivial attacks that could easily have been the work of an angry farmer with extra time on his hands and a mortar in his backyard. As to serious attacks on British forces, in the last eight weeks, there have been exactly zero. So, any stories that make it sound like Basra is in chaos are shamefully false.”
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/resistance-is-futile.htm
You don’t lose 170 troops being ‘hunkered’ down in Iraq. These casualties, if you read of these gallant men, were sustained in offenive actions and enemy ambushes. The people denigrating these men on this website should hang their heads in shame. Well , good luck with your other allies who can’t spare any troops for any offensive action in Iraq or Afghanistan.
I could have responded to the gross slurs given against my nation with equal ones aimed at the US. However, apparently, unlike contributors on this website, I am confident enough in the strength and character of my own country not to have and denigrate yours to make me feel better.
The problem with UK forces is they are too small.
It started becoming obvious that the UK decided to make Afganistan the main effort almost a year ago. What is happening now is an acceleration of that transfer of forces.
The ISF in Basrah was not ready and was not planned to be ready until Mid-late 2008. Hense the sudden diversion of forces from Ninawa, Anbar, Salahadin, Wasit and Baghdad to accelerate the stand-up of 14th Division. That was a change in plans that happened in Jun/Jul. In May, the 12th was still on schedule and half the ISOF elements were in Mosul and Al Asad.
This accelerated transfer of UK assets has effectively delayed operations in the hot provinces of the north by shifting major elements to Basrah ahead of schedule.