Posted on 06/01/2007 7:20:59 PM PDT by SandRat
At the end of a challenging tour of duty in southern Iraq, the personnel of 19 Light Brigade have received high praise from their Commander, Brigadier Tim Evans MBE.
19 Light Brigade, replaced in Iraq by 1 Mechanised Brigade today, Friday 1 June 2007, now returns to the UK, with most of its units already back.
Brigadier Evans, said:
"19 Light Brigade had a very challenging and dynamic tour but maintained an impressive momentum. The Brigade had to fight hard to retain the initiative and keep on the front foot against a professional and well motivated enemy who were determined to inflict casualties.
"They conducted over nine Brigade level strike operations and over 110 Battlegroup or Company Group strikes. The Brigade certainly succeeded in setting the conditions for Transition but it came at a great cost with 26 killed in action. The fact that the officers and soldiers never lost their direction or motivation is testament to the standard of our people today. The officers and soldiers could not have performed better.
"The Brigade tour was dominated by Transition. The Maysaan Battlegroup remained in the desert for the tour, conducting border operations and mentoring the Department of Border Enforcement. They assisted with the hand over of responsibility for security to the Governor of Maysaan, with the declaration of Provincial Iraqi Control; the third out of the four southern provinces.
"Within Basra, the Brigade launched Operation SINBAD, a comprehensive operation, which intertwined reconstruction with the development of the Iraqi Security Forces within 22 districts of the City over a period of three months. This helped set the conditions for the handover of greater security responsibility to the Security Forces as they gained in capability.
"The Brigade handed over four bases to 10th Division of the Iraqi Army within a six week period without any difficulties. This period in April 2007, however, coincided with the month of our greatest losses with ten killed in action. This demonstrated the roller-coaster nature of the tour with highs and lows coming in very quick succession."
Throughout the tour, 19 Light Brigade worked closely with the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), providing specialist training and equipment, mentoring them as their capability developed and supporting them on operations.
Operation TROY in February 2007 saw the ISF plan and conduct an operation involving the lockdown of their national borders and the roads and waterways leading into Basra City, whilst surging security activity within the City against the rogue militias.
Operation PISA on 8 December 2006 involved 1,000 troops in the largest operation since 2003. The bold plan involved land, air and amphibious assets surging into the Al Hartha District of northern Basra. A substantial weapons and munitions cache was found, consisting of rockets, rocket launchers, bomb-making equipment and assorted guns and incriminating materials.
19 Light Brigade has made a concerted effort to address corruption within the government institutions, especially the Iraqi Police Service (IPS). In Operation THYME, it worked alongside the Iraqi Army, Department for Internal Affairs and elements of the IPS to shut down the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) and to destroy its headquarters on Christmas Day 2006. 127 illegally held prisoners, some with torture injuries, were found in its headquarters and handed over to the Iraqi authorities.
On 23 April 2007, Operation RATTLESNAKE targeted and destroyed two groups of militia as they laid Improvised Explosive Devices in the same area where a week earlier a device buried under the road had destroyed a Warrior Armoured Vehicle, killing four British servicemen and women, and a local civilian interpreter.
The Brigade has not only worked alongside the ISF in security operations it also ran Operation SINBAD in Basrah Province. Focussing on reconstruction projects and the rehabilitation of the Iraqi Police Service, $72 million was spent over 5 months.
Concentrating on one district at a time, Immediate Impact Projects were conducted, such as the refurbishment of schools and hospitals, and Medium Term Projects identified and commissioned.
Over 200 km of water pipes were laid providing water access to 7,000 homes. So far, 70,000 date palms have been planted, irrigated and tended. Five Electrical Distribution Projects were built creating a more efficient and reliable distribution of power. Some 250 schools were provided with equipment and building repairs and 20,000 short to medium term jobs were created.
It has also been an important period of transition in southern Iraq. Maysaan Province reached Provincial Iraqi Control on 18 April 2007, whilst the conditions are being created for Basrah Province to follow.
Brigadier Evans concluded:
"Overall, the Brigade achieved all that was asked of it and more, having taken its lead from the successes of 20 Armoured Brigade and set the conditions for 1 Mechanised Brigade to achieve Provincial Iraqi Control in Al Basrah Province."
FR WAR NEWS!Thumbs up to the Brits.
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