[Justa]

"The Iraqis are making a major blunder by even coming out, because they are going to be pounded whenever they poke out, as a British officer said yesterday."

Well, imo that's their job. They're not there to hold the city, they're there to disrupt nearby Allied supply lines and to prevent the port from being used by the Allies. Their "counterattacks" are to interdict supply operations. That's the primary mission imo. They'll continue doing it until they're defeated.