As British Leave, Basra Deteriorates

Washington Post ^ | August 7, 2007 | Karen DeYoung and Thomas Ricks

[bobsunshine]

As British forces pull back from Basra in southern Iraq, Shiite militias there have escalated a violent battle against each other for political supremacy and control over oil resources, deepening concerns among some U.S. officials in Baghdad that elements of Iraq's Shiite-dominated national government will turn on one another once U.S. troops begin to draw down.

Three major Shiite political groups are locked in a bloody conflict that has left the city in the hands of militias and criminal gangs, whose control extends to municipal offices and neighborhood streets. The city is plagued by "the systematic misuse of official institutions, political assassinations, tribal vendettas, neighborhood vigilantism and enforcement of social mores, together with the rise of criminal mafias that increasingly intermingle with political actors," a recent report by the International Crisis Group said.

After Saddam Hussein was overthrown in April 2003, British forces took control of the region, and the cosmopolitan port city of Basra thrived with trade, arts and universities. As recently as February, Vice President Cheney hailed Basra as a part of Iraq "where things are going pretty well."

But "it's hard now to paint Basra as a success story," said a senior U.S. official in Baghdad with long experience in the south. Instead, it has become a different model, one that U.S. officials with experience in the region are concerned will be replicated throughout the Iraqi Shiite homeland from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf. A recent series of war games commissioned by the Pentagon also warned of civil war among Shiites after a reduction in U.S. forces.

[bobsunshine]

"The British have basically been defeated in the south," a senior U.S. intelligence official said recently in Baghdad. They are abandoning their former headquarters at Basra Palace, where a recent official visitor from London described them as "surrounded like cowboys and Indians" by militia fighters. An airport base outside the city, where a regional U.S. Embassy office and Britain's remaining 5,500 troops are barricaded behind building-high sandbags, has been attacked with mortars or rockets nearly 600 times over the past four months.

The British did not seem to use "clear and hold" but rather "clear and reconstruction". Here is an interesting comment: The British approach of lightly armed foot patrols -- copied from counterinsurgency operations in Northern Ireland -- sought to avoid antagonizing the local population and encourage cooperation.

[pnh102]

Considering the source of this article, is any of this story to be believed?

[From One - Many]

sought to avoid antagonizing the local population and encourage cooperation.

So now, the British Military is going to throw away all achieved?
This is not the British Military, I remember, or ACTUALLY I should say the British Leadership, I remember.

[Gay State Conservative]

Just goes to show that Europeans (Western and Central Europeans,at least) don’t have the foggiest idea of how important it is to destroy mainstream islam (aka:”radical”islam) or of going about defeating a movement whose mindset is firmly planted in the 9th Century.

[WBL 1952]

Washington Post reporters along with Newsweek, etc. are just adament this war will be lost and losing it will be good for America. To that end; they are convinced their malicious reporting is good for us.

[expatguy]

The White Man's Burden.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[Gay State Conservative]

Churchill would be up on hate crime charges and would be extradited to The Hague on genocide charges if he were alive today.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Gotta love WaPo and their anonymous sources assuring everyone that defeat is at hand.

[Red Badger]

Brits Bolt Basra Basketcase?.......

[Red Badger]

Considering the source of this article, is any of this story to be believed?

Scott Thomas byline?........

[himno hero]

...these are not a civilized people, nor do they understand process, systems and infrastructure, its purpose, how it works

and where they fit into the picture.

What they do know is the law of the jungle and pass me my AK-47

[American in Israel]

Haters make poor thinkers, I do not think the liberal reporting thinks much at all or has a goal beyond power and destruction. Islam is remarkably the same issue.

[SolidWood]

The WaCompost is rooting for withdrawal, and once troops withdraw they complain about detiorating situation?

Oh well.

[rhombus]

Considering the source of this article, is any of this story to be believed?>

It's hard to know for sure. We do know that the Democrats and their media can not let the surge appear to be working. Instead of attacking "the troops" and Petraeus they have attacked the Iraqi Gov't. First we had to hear from Congress before they went on vacation how terrible it was for the Iraqi legislature to go on vacation. This morning NBC was humping another group that is boycotting the legislature claiming Maliki's Gov't is on the verge of collapse. Now this story which is more of the usual disconnect between local groups and a centralized and distant Gov't. The bottom line in all this I expect has more to do with our election than with anything to do with Iraqis.

[Future Snake Eater]

Just goes to show that Europeans (Western and Central Europeans,at least) don’t have the foggiest idea of how important it is to destroy mainstream islam (aka:”radical”islam) or of going about defeating a movement whose mindset is firmly planted in the 9th Century.

You can't be serious. You're criticizing the Brits of something that the U.S. has absolutely no intention of doing either.

Listen, all of you, this is not a problem with the Brits. I will say it again--this is not a problem with the Brits. This is a problem with the useless population of Iraq. Basra has been a fairly safe place for quite a while, then, what a shock, as soon as the Brits leave they turn on each other. Does anyone believe anything different will occur in the rest of Iraq as soon as we start drawing down?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--we can't want it more for them than they want it for themselves. They are not worthy of what we (we in the military, that is) are fighting and dying to give them. You all need to do a tour over here to see it for yourselves. Then you'd understand.

[SolidWood]

said a senior U.S. official in Baghdad with long experience in the south.

What's with this unnamed sources?

[IamConservative]

But a minor foreshadow of what will happen if the US pulls out of Iraq.

I have long felt we should pull back to the borders of Iraq and secure those borders with extreme prejudice. Let the people inside Iraq do whatever it is they are going to do without outside influence. Once they lose their appetite for killing each other and want to cooperate with each other, then we can help them build a democracy. The situation reminds me very much of packs of dogs in wait to determine who will have control of a territory. Whether today or 5 years from now, this will be settled the only way it can be settled, they will fight each other.

[GraniteStateConservative]

What's with this unnamed sources?

The Bush Administration, the Pentagon included, values loyalty über alles. That's why. This guy probably wants to keep his job.

[rhombus]

I have no doubt that people in this country would also turn to militia’s if the central Gov’t were unable to or unwilling to provide protection and security. I also have no doubt that there would be rival militias fighting for control. We were once told in this country that the slaves weren’t ready to be free and they couldn’t take care of themselves. In the aftermath of the war between our states, as the Union Army withdrew and Reconstruction waned many independent militia’s formed, Republican politicians were murdered and quite often court houses and other public structures were simply taken over by rival gangs. The terrorist wing of the Democratic party (aka the KKK) burned and pillaged their way throughout a number of Southern cities. Appomattox may have ended the war (Mission Accomplished) but it took many, many years to stabilize things in the South and to put down numerous insurrections on the local level.

[madvlad]

Dick Morris suggested this in 2004.

He suggested building city bases in isolated areas of western
Iraq and statioing forces there. Only To be used in certain
cirsumstances.

That way, you have your cake and eat it too. You have a
large combat presence in-country w/ substanitally reduced
exposure to risk.

If Iraqi wants to fight w/ himself, stand back and let it happen.
Let Shia purge Sunni.

MV