I'm no stranger to indirect fire, but I was pretty impressed by the size of the incoming rockets, and the impunity with which said (Iranian supplied) rockets rain down on the encampment there. The Brits have devised some tough measures to minimize casualties, and are very stoic about the attacks. To be honest, after a few days of having to hit the deck, endure the salvos, and wait for the all clear, I was pretty well ready to be on my way.
I'm a big fan of Brit troops; they're smart, competent and tough. I've worked with them a number of times, and always enjoyed it. But in Basrah, they basically have both hands tied behind their backs, and that's no way to fight.
That's probably the lion's share of violence, as you said, and it is being directed at the UK forces on the airfield. Still, the situation in town is pretty grim, with various Shia factions struggling for power, and pretty much running amok. Since we no longer have much of a presence in town, it's hard to really say how much violence there is, but what we do know indicates that it's a bad scene and not likely to improve until one of the factions emerges victorious.
Hi Steel Wolf,
Thanks for the info mate. I’m glad you got out of there unscathed!
Some articles that I have read have suggested that the South of Iraq will become relatively peaceful once the British leave as the majority of attacks seem to be against UK forces. Do you believe this will be the case? I’ve heard that Basra etc was pretty lawless even during Saddam’s time (and he had much larger forces based there than Multi-National forces do at the moment). Do you think that the militia competition there at the moment is a continuation of this or something that will become much worse when British forces/ all forces eventually leave Iraq?
I believe (from the discussed article and wider reading) that the UK still has forces at Basra Palace (for a few more weeks at least). This is where the action cited in the article appearts to have taken place. Do you see indirect fire attacks becoming more intense on the airfield when the Basra Palace position is closed?
From what I understand, UK troops seem to prefer the war in Afghanistan to Iraq (as the UK increases its presence in Afghanistan) as fighting there is more conventional and less constrained etc. Is that the impression you recieved?
Sorry for all the questions, but I’m genuinely very interested in what’s going on in Iraq at the moment as the UK press is even worse than the US when it comes to that conflict.
Cheers,
UK