Uprising By Shiites in Basra Underway; British Pouring Artillery into City

Sky News Live Feed ^ | 03/25/03 | TonyInOhio

[TonyInOhio]

Just monitored on Sky News: embedded reporter says Shiites in Basra have begun, in his words, a "popular uprising" against the Saddam forces still in the city. British Army units are "pouring" artillery into the city (likely isolated areas) preparing to move in.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Figures!!!

[Alberta's Child]

Today's allies can be tomorrow's enemies and vice versa.

Understood. But if Americans in the 1980s were told that the Afghans we were aiding would eventually become our enemies and would end up shooting back at American soldiers with the AK-47s we supplied them, perhaps they would be as skeptical as I am about trusting anyone in government.

[k2blader]

Thanks for the info!

[Rummyfan]

Thanks. Outraged Ditz fitz for Zahn!

[Fee]

ZULU is a great movie. Especially in the end when they formed three ranks with the redoubt. Only movie I ever saw where the slain enemy bodies piled up in front of the defenders. Most movies the slain bodies simply disappear. Minor detail overlooked by the director I guess.

[RoseofTexas]

Reports are coming out that there is a bit of confussion going on over the POPULAR UP RISING! According to some news sources, SKY reporter reported the up rising from a source within basra, but that there were no eye witness or journalists to confirm the scene! Geez! Don't know what to make of it!!

[overtaxed_canadian]

FWIW, from Debka:

Basra Shiites riot against Iraqi regime and army Tuesday afternoon. Shiite militias backed by British and American warplanes and helicopters in armed clashes with Iraqi units in city.

DEBKAfile intelligence sources: Majid Khoei, son of legendary Iraqi Ayatollah at head of 3,000-man US-backed Shiite militia is leading Basra unrest to stir up Shiite anti-Saddam uprising

[Alberta's Child]

See my post #532. You have no idea whether "the adults" will be in charge even two years from today, let alone for the length of time it is going to take to rebuild Iraq.

[Grampa Dave]

There is a great link up on Free Republic that tells about how our Brit Cousins are smashing the Baathists of Soddam:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/875133/posts

[kattracks]

More from Sky News

BASRA: ANTI-SADDAM RIOTS

Rioting is taking place in Basra by locals opposed to Saddam Hussein, reports say.

British forces are firing on Iraqi troops who are trying to crush the uprising, the reports add.

Reporter Richard Gaisford, who is with troops just west of Basra, said British intelligence officers told him about the civil uprising.

The Scots Dragoon Guards officers told him Saddam loyalists were firing mortar rounds at the attackers.

UK troops responded by firing artillery shells at the Iraqi positions, Gaisford said.

Two large explosions have been heard in the city centre and there are reports the ruling Ba'ath Party HQ has been hit.

Gaisford said the officers had earlier told him intelligence from the southern Iraqi city suggested that local people had indicated they would welcome the Allied forces but were in fear of Saddam loyalists.

"Now it seems they have had the courage to stand up to Saddam Hussein and his regime and they will be supported by British forces," Gaisford said.

Gaisford said British troops were preparing to enter the city centre when dawn breaks in Iraq.

Sky News Foreign Editor Tim Marshall said that if the reports were true, it would be a "crucial moment" in the Iraq war.

He said it could trigger more uprisings across parts of Iraq - which the British and American governments had hoped for.

Marshall said the majority of the people around Basra were Shi'ite Muslims, who had been oppressed by Saddam's regime.

Saddam's ruling Ba'ath Party are predominantly made up of Sunni Muslims.

Earlier, British military sources said about 20 of Saddam Hussein's henchmen were killed and a key party official captured in a raid by British forces near Basra on Monday night.

[dinasour]

They don't want to do anything that would tend to prop up an Arab state right next door to them. Iranians are Persian; ethnicity counts for a LOT.

But, I thought we were the evil racists?

[brewcrew]

Kissinger did all of his thinking with his little head, if you get my drift.

[areafiftyone]

OH SHIITE!!

British source says unaware of any Basra uprising

KUWAIT, March 25 (Reuters) - British military officials said on Tuesday they had no information on any popular uprising in Iraq's second city of Basra, but added that they would do everything possible to encourage such a revolt.

"We don't know anything about a Basra uprising," said a British military source in Central Command in Qatar.

British television networks have said there are reports of an armed uprising in the city.

A British spokesman in Kuwait said British and U.S. forces wanted the people of Basra to attack soldiers loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"We'll help them every which way we can," said British spokesman Chris Vernon, adding that British forces were looking to weaken Saddam's power structure in the city and had captured a top official of his Ba'ath party there earlier in the day.

"We are helping them when we took out probably the most senior Ba'ath party guy in Basra this morning. That will have sent a shockwave through them," Vernon told a news conference.

[ken5050]

That's just what the American people want...another person from Arkansas in the Oval office, or proximate to it....

[Alberta's Child]

Now that the UN is irrelevant and after Powell weeds the rats out of the state department, there will be changes how we respond to nations when this war on terrorism is over.

1. Powell won't even weed rats out of his own basement.

2. This "war on terrorism" is never going to end -- it is designed to be a cash cow for government that will last forever.

[Grampa Dave]

Again you should like PB. Arming those Afghans resulted in the financial breakup of the USSR. So we had to come in after a decade to kill some baddies.

The Iraqis kept the Iranians from taking over the middle east, and now we are taking care of the bad Iraqis.

It is real easy to be a nit picker. You really are a PIA at times with your negative anti America replies. You sound like the left wingers who mouth "We support the troops but hope your officers and administration gets killed!"

[Coop]

I don't want to sound imperialistic or colonial or anything like that, but we really need to help Africa. If we don't, we will only be creating another breed of terrorist.

Okay, how about you take on that project while our folks are busy with Iraq, Al Qaeda, North Korea, the economy...?

[jriemer]

We need Spec Ops in there to see what is going on....these people need to know we are coming....

Major Bob can't believe we are going to wait 8 to 12 hrs...

Major Bob to ground control...

Major Bob to ground control...

[Paradox]

British source says unaware of any Basra uprising,

Rats. Thats why we need MULTIPLE INDEPENDANT sources for our information. In this case, all the media were quoting Sky news....

[SierraWasp]

"Ok Vey!"

I thot that wuz... Oie Vey!!!