Posted on 06/29/2003 6:18:25 PM PDT by blam
Paras' show of force brings new Shia threat of bloodshed
By David Blair in Majar-al-Kabir
(Filed: 30/06/2003)
Freshly-painted banners denouncing the British Army hung from the sunbaked walls of Majar-al-Kabir yesterday when Iraqis gave warning of more bloodshed if soldiers return to carry out house-to-house searches for weapons.
"Why did you shed the blood of innocent unarmed people?" asked one banner, painted in both Arabic and English, recalling the deaths of at least four Iraqis last week. Another read: "Where is the freedom of Iraq? Is it patrolling military forces and searching houses?"
On Saturday, 500 soldiers from 1 Bn the Parachute Regiment made a largely symbolic return to Majar-al-Kabir in southern Iraq, where six military policemen were murdered last Tuesday. Although the British came in strength, supported by 100 vehicles including Challenger 2 main battle tanks, they stayed for barely an hour and carried out no weapons searches.
Iraqis viewed this incursion with resentment. "The British wanted to show us their strength," said Jawad Shtaway, 35. "They wanted to frighten us and show us what strong people they are."
The British objective of disarming Majar-al-Kabir of heavy weaponry remains overriding. British officers are negotiating with local leaders and hope that the townspeople will voluntarily surrender their rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machineguns, while keeping the AK47 assault rifles that are found in almost every home.
Left unspoken is the knowledge that, if the approach fails, the house-to-house searches will have to resume. As an indication that the Army is preparing for all contingencies, 1 Para - which had been due to leave Iraq yesterday - is now expected to stay at least until later this week.
One British officer said that the Paras did not want to go home with the fate of the military policemen "hanging over them". They will stay in their base about 10 miles from Majar-al-Kabir to back up a relief battalion, the King's Own Scottish Borderers, that has already arrived.
If British forces start searching homes in Majar-al-Kabir for weapons, this will pose the key test of whether last week's bloodshed will be repeated. Fighting talk in the town's threadbare bazaar, where Paras came under fire six days ago, suggests that this scene could be repeated.
"If they are going to start searching homes again, then the same disaster will happen to the British," said Mohammed Sahi, 27, a lawyer.
The entirely Shia town with a deeply conservative Muslim tradition will never take kindly to the presence of Western soldiers. "We are Muslims, we are Shia. We take our orders from our leaders in Najaf [Iraq's holy city] and from Iran. We cannot accept the British here," said Mr Sahi.
Col Ronnie McCourt, spokesman for British forces, insists this is a minority view and most people in Majar-al-Kabir want the Army back.
• The head of the United States administration in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has warned that the coalition could expect to suffer further casualties in its attempts to make Iraq safe.
Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme, he said: "They are still fighting us and we are going to fight them and impose our will on them and we will capture or, if necessary, kill them until we have imposed law and order.
"Unfortunately we will continue to take casualties - such as the tragic attack against the British forces - but there is no strategic threat to the coalition."
To quote Pal (in Uncle Buck): "I got a cure for that!"
I wonder what the public response to, say, UN troops conducting house to house searches for weapons in American cities would be? (my guess is nothing but complete compliance)
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