Posted on 04/11/2007 7:29:50 PM PDT by Eurotwit
British forces have hit back at Iraqi insurgents who killed six colleagues last week, by launching an operation in which they shot dead more than 20 gunmen of Basra's rogue militias.
The attack began when a battalion-size force was sent into one of the southern city's toughest terrorist strongholds, three miles from where four soldiers, including two women, were blown up in their Warrior armoured vehicle.
An armoured force of 400 troops from the 2Bn The Rifles and 2Bn The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, both of which suffered fatalities last week, entered the Shia Flats area on the western outskirts of Basra to search for hidden weapons.The district is notorious as one of the most dangerous in southern Iraq.
"We wanted to make quite clear there's nowhere in Basra we cannot go," a British commander told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "We are prepared to be there in daylight and take whatever comes our way. We are not being bombed out or intimidated."
Initially there was no response as the troops began searching homes where they recovered some small arms. But then the atmosphere changed. advertisement <A HREF="http://ads.telegraph.co.uk/event.ng/Type%3dclick%26FlightID%3d18468%26AdID%3d22241%26TargetID%3d4862%26Redirect%3dhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/exclusions/Supplements/espana/nosplit/espanadiff.xml" target="_top"><IMG SRC="http://ads.telegraph.co.uk/b/britannyferries/north_spain_mpu_2.gif" WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 BORDER=0></A>
"It was all going very well but then there was a sense something bad was about to happen as we noticed children starting to speak into their mobile phones and point at us," the commander said. "At this stage it became clear that the militia was massing for some kind of attack."
As the troops took up defensive positions around their Warrior and Bulldog armoured vehicles, Iraqi gunmen carrying AK47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades could be seen scurrying along rooftops and down streets. It is believed ammunition and hundreds of weapons are hidden in the area and brought into the open at short notice when the British appear.
Intelligence sources also informed the troops on the ground that Shia terrorists were heading towards them from other parts of the city.
The battle began on Tuesday afternoon with numerous rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire hitting the British positions.
The soldiers from the Rifles and Duke of Lancaster's held off the attacks for more than two hours and shot a number of gunmen. There were no British casualties as they gradually fought their way back to their base at Basra Palace.
Coalition jets also made low flying passes to intimidate the enemy although they did not drop any bombs. During one skirmish two attackers, who fired grenades at a British position, were chased down and arrested. Both are likely to face charges.
Commanders believed that some of the dead might have been behind the ambush of a Warrior in which 2nd Lt Joanna Dyer, a close friend of Prince William at Sandhurst, and three other soldiers were killed. A sniper, possibly from Shia Flats, also killed two other soldiers earlier last week. "This was at a location where we believe those responsible for killing our people were almost certainly recruited from," a military source said.
During the battle an Iraqi policeman was shot by one of the militias. He later died.
No civilians are believed to have been killed in the fight, the military reported, although it could not rule out innocent casualties caught in the crossfire.
"While we may regret that such incidents have to take place, we will not allow militia gunmen to control parts of Basra," said Lt Col Kevin Stratford-Wright, the British military spokesman in southern Iraq.
"There are no 'no-go' areas for multi-national forces in Basra. Security is our responsibility and, in conjunction with the Iraqi security forces, we seek to provide as secure an environment as possible. This will inevitably involve taking on the rogue militia who blight the lives of people in Basra."
Official estimates put the number of Iraqis hit by British gunfire at 10 but other defence sources said that double that figure had been shot.
I'm sure they appreciate your support.
You have to go to the Centom or MNF-Iraq or the blogs to hear ANY good news here. DIrty rotten bastards.
This is the main thing that bothers me about this war, I know its an insurgency, but that’s no reason to be completely on the defensive. We are losing most of our men to IED’s driving around on patrols for god knows why.
We should have gone into Sadr city along time ago, I know there are many alleys and its a horrible concrete jungle. But losses would still be on par with all roadside bombings, just like the fighting in Fallijua. Whenever we fight them like men, we kick asses and show the enemy how much better we truly are.
On the sadder side, its seems more noble to have our boys die FIGHTING the enemy rather then driving around, not to mention most gunshot wounds can be treated faster now then in previous wars, plus you can make a complete recovery. And we wouldn’t have so many wounded coming back without limbs and serious burns.
Just my two cents!
I agree with your assessment about the Brits in Basra. They stood off while clerics, some with a radical Iranian leaning bent, took civil control of various areas of the city. As the article explains there are no-go areas in Basra, just as there were in Bagdad. Since the Brits have already announced a partial withdrawal from southern Iraq, the situation there could become worse. Michael Yon before he was kidnapped and killed painted a bleak picture of Basra in 2005:(http://spencepublishing.typepad.com/in_the_red_zone/2005/07/the_leaderbon_a.html). Some say it is no better today than it was then.
I hate to agree, but that’s what I read between the lines too. It sounds like they only went in to take guns, ran into some unexpected resistance, and backed out. It doesn’t sound like they collected all of the guns they could find. And, despite taking some casualties, the terrorists proved they remain in control there.
In spite of the casualties, this cannot be in any way considered a war. In a war every person with a weapon and not in uniform would be shot dead.
This is a nation building effort.
WTF ? I suppose they were issued a stern warning...
Sad, but spot on.
Although, these are the guys who celebrate Dunkirk. I’m not quite sure they made their point that there’s no place in Basra that they can’t go.
And what’s the point of just making low flying passes?! Face it, the people there hate you (the British)! If anything, plastering a few buildings and showing that reporting the disposition will have serious consequence would engender a healthy respect. You’ve left them alone, and they’re running amuck.
Sure, you killed twenty of their for none of your own, but at the end of the day, they held their territory and you left with your tail between your legs (it’s kinda like Jutland actually—the Germans caused more damage, but the British maintained their dominance in the North Sea—British victory).
That is not making a good impression, especially with these people and with their eastern neighbors.
Sheesh, here’s hoping they show some spine and clear house sometime soon.
Oh. Now they want to shoot.
Not a very strong showing. Jets overhead are worthless unless coupled with a willingness to employ them.
Jeepers, this was a disappointment at so many levels I cannnot bring myself to such discouragement to even comment.
Might as will go home with your tail between your legs Brits. Time to cowboy up.
Must be tough to now be so disrespected by your enemy.
Yeah, they did great. Another big victory, like Dunkirk. At least they didn’t surrender and grovel on TV.
I think you mean Steven Vincent, not Michael Yon. I haven’t heard about Michael going down to Basra.
Yes. I meant Steve Vincent. Sorry my mistake.
‘Might as will go home with your tail between your legs Brits. Time to cowboy up.’
I agree. Now the US has elected a govt that has decided to surrender and run even if they have yet to agree the date, why should us Brits pretend this war is going anywhere good? As America has chosen surrender, what exactly do you expect us to do?
As for the insurgents who were arrested, when MI5 have finished with them, they will wish they had been shot. You don’t need to be a military genius to realise that intelligence is worth far more than another couple of dead arabs.
As I said earlier, from what I have heard, the British are just sitting back at their base and letting the mullahs run Basra. They have made no effort to control the city.
In a way, you can’t blame them. Tony Blair is on his way out, the Labour Party is pulling out and will not support any real action, and there is considerable risk that, as you say, American troops may also soon be pulled out if the Democrats gain control.
But it’s a sad business. Spain pulled out. Italy pulled out. France has fought on the other side since the beginning. And now Britain looks is if it wants to give up the fight, disband their fleet, and get cozy with Eurabia.
‘As I said earlier, from what I have heard, the British are just sitting back at their base and letting the mullahs run Basra. They have made no effort to control the city.’
The Americans around Baghdad do the same - occasional foray out to shoot a few insurgents and back behind the gates. They make no effort to control the city, they merely react to events.
‘And now Britain looks is if it wants to give up the fight, disband their fleet, and get cozy with Eurabia.’
The UK has made no commitment to leave Iraq, unlike the US government. We have simply removed 1500 troops from Basra and sent them to Afghanistan where they are needed. You are the guys getting ready pull out and you lot are supposedly in charge. If we are getting cozy with eurabia then the US is actively surrendering to it. Like it or loath it you are the sole remaining superpower and if your govt votes to surrender Iraq there is bugger all us Brits can do about it. Even if we had 10 times the military strength we do, when the US votes to go home, we cannot stay.
I was hoping this was against Iran....the actions by those marine sailors appears to be one big ole’ black eye against the Brits. ;o(
My feelings as well.
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