[NYTr] British Troops Under Fire in Basra as Exit Looms

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by Dave Muller (southnews)

British Troops Under Fire in Basra as Exit Looms

The Times of London - Aug 4, 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2195711.ece

Once welcomed, British troops are now the wrong tools for the job

The days of patrolling without helmets are gone but commanders
dismiss fears of chaos reigning when security is handed to Iraqis

by Deborah Haynes in Basra

Sheltering behind blast walls or lying flat in the dirt with mortar
shells exploding near by, British troops are under fire in Basra
as they prepare to hand control of security to the Iraqi authorities.

The incoming rounds are, however, dismissed as an inconvenient
distraction rather than a reason to retreat, as soldiers at a key
base in the city centre prepared for a planned withdrawal in the
coming weeks.

After moving from Basra Palace to their headquarters outside the
town, commanders will decide when to let the Iraqi security forces
take charge of the last British-secured province in Iraq. This could
take place next month, although the timing will depend on the
readiness of the Iraqi Army, the police and the local council to
take over.

British officers say that the rockets fired by Iranian-backed
militias are intended to create the false impression that British
forces are being chased out of Iraq. The levels of indirect fire .
. . have caused some surprise, but it isnt going to work because
we are working to our own timeline, said Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick
Sanders, commanding officer of the 4th Battalion, The Rifles.

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home.

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He is based at Basra Palace, a sprawling complex of mansions linked
by hump-back bridges and winding roads, built on the bank of the
Shatt al-Arab waterway.

The British drawdown  troop levels are due to shrink to 5,000 from
5,500 by December  is in stark contrast to the US surge of an extra
28,000 troops in and around Baghdad, which is aimed at combating
sectarian violence and al-Qaeda attacks.

British officers are quick to emphasise that the Shia-dominated
south lacks the internecine tensions found in central Iraq. About
90 per cent of the violence is directed against British forces,
they say, while the rest is a mixture of mafia-style gangsterism
and ordinary decent crime. Their belief is that once Britain is
removed from the equation, rival Shia militias, tribes and political
parties are expected to settle down together after a brief power
struggle. Commanders reject the fears of some local people that
their city will descend into anarchy without a British presence.

British troops arent working down here. Not because of mass, not
because of courage, not because of equipment but because we are the
wrong tool for the job, a senior British officer said. The problems
down here are political. They are social. Basra has got to sort
itself out.

Until they leave British Forces will continue to attract indirect
fire the current palace record is 75 rounds in one day  and risk
being ambushed when conducting operations in the city. They will
also take more casualties, with 37 British soldiers killed in Iraq
this year alone.

On the ground, troops say that mortar and rocket attacks will be
their lasting memory of Basra.

The blasts are scary when you are out in the open, said Sergeant
Mark Storer, as he cleared up rubbish left by a diplomatic and
military US contingent that had been sharing Basra Palace. The
Americans moved out at the end of July before the British departure.

There is nothing you can do apart from suck it up until that final
bomb and you know you are all right, said the 37-year-old soldier
from Bournemouth, adding: Then you get the giggles.

Much has changed for British troops since they arrived in the hot,
oil-rich south in 2003 with high hopes of installing democratic
rule, building a new security force and funding life-changing
reconstruction projects as the second-biggest coalition power in
Iraq behind the US.

At first they were welcomed with open arms. Pictures of British
soldiers in soft hats interacting with local civilians were envied
by the US military as it battled against an increasingly ugly
insurgency in and around Baghdad. But somewhere during the past
four years Britain has lost its magic touch.

Shia militias, such as al-Mahdi Army, have infiltrated the police
and army, effectively controlling parts of Basra where the British
no longer have a presence. Oil smuggling and political corruption
are widespread, while the locals believe that basic services remain
poor at best.

Such problems and the perceived inability of Britain to fix them
created an increasingly hostile environment for British Forces to
operate in, further limiting their effectiveness.

We had great hopes for wonderful things to happen when the coalition
arrived, Munadil Abdul Khanjer, a provincial councillor and chairman
of the councils economics committee, said. We thought they would
change Iraq into another Japan or Germany, he added. But in 2005
the point of view of the citizens changed towards the British troops
and people started to see them as an occupying force, not heroes
coming in to help.

British officers concede that some aspirations had been unrealistic,
but insist that massive strides were made, namely training the Iraqi
Army and police as well as helping Basra to hold democratic elections
to form the Provincial Council.

The institutions are not perfect but they are up and running and
angling for full responsibility once Britain, its coalition partners
and the Government of Iraq give the green light.

In a sign that such a time is drawing near, Nouri al-Maliki, the
Prime Minister, recently appointed a new security chief and head
of police in Basra to bolster the chain of command.

I have one goal, to bring security to Basra province, General Mohan
al-Fraiji, the security tsar, said. The decision has already been
made from high up that by middle to late September Basra will be
in our hands. Mr al-Maliki also ordered Mohammed al-Waili, Basras
struggling Governor, to adhere to a vote of no confidence passed
by the provincial council and step down. Mr al-Waili is stubbornly
staying on for now, though British officials insist that this
squabble will not affect their handover plans.

Political infighting and corruption in the security forces are seen
as Iraqi problems that need an Iraqi solution. But one area where
Britain could have had a bigger impact is reconstruction.

I think there is a general British sense that we would have liked
to have done more, and I think we are still puzzling over why the
reconstruction was not as effective as it might have been, the
senior British officer said.

Since the invasion Britain has spent or committed #744 million to
help to rebuild water mains, schools and a host of other projects.

Lieutenant- Colonel Peter Sims, an Australian officer in charge of
civil military effects, said much was invested in electricity, water
and sewage.

Unfortunately from a perception point of view, people thought we
werent doing anything because people could not see it, Colonel Sims
said.

But the reality was that in that time a lot of the infrastructure
was rebuilt. Mr Khanjer, the provincial councillor, disagreed,
saying that there had been no marked improvement in the electricity
or sewage systems, though water was slightly better. As for smaller
projects such as rebuilding classrooms, much money was pocketed by
corrupt contractors, as security fears often prevented officials
from visiting projects.

Increasingly, the provincial council is taking the lead with
reconstruction efforts, ensuring that all work is contracted at a
reasonable price and actually takes place. Such autonomy is a further
sign that Basra, a port city with huge economic potential, is ready
for provincial control.

The final transition date will be fixed only once British Forces
exit Basra Palace  once a playground for Saddam Husseins family  as
well as the Provincial Joint Co-ordination Centre, a small British-Iraqi
outpost in the heart of the city.

This withdrawal of some 800 troops to the militarys headquarters
at an airport several miles away is a prospect few relish, saying
that they prefer being in the thick of the action.

I dont want to go back to the COB [Contingency Operating Base],
Lance Corporal Steven Pallett, 21, said. All the guys do there is
drink milkshakes.

In reality the airport base gets more than its fair share of indirect
fire, forcing soldiers to be on alert at all times. Such attacks
are likely to rise once it becomes the last British stronghold.

Troops on the base will still be able to defend themselves and
conduct raids, but they run the risk of losing credibility if they
stay in Iraq too long after handing over the Basra security brief.

Local people dislike the British presence but show mixed emotions
at the prospect of it ending.

I dont want the British to leave because the Iraqi security forces
are not ready, Laith Hashem Hassan, 34, a financial auditor, said.

However, Louay al-Batat, the Basra deputy governor, said: I would
prefer for them to go so that we, the Basra people, can work together
and rebuild our city.

Some 500 troops will leave Iraq after the transition, but a sizeable
footprint is due to remain as the military adopts a more supportive
role in Basra. This is already the case in Iraqs three other southern
provinces that have been transferred to Iraqi control by the
British-led coalition.

How long they stay is up to Gordon Brown, but one thing is certain,
the impression that British troops leave behind is unlikely to be
positive.

A senior Iraqi officer summed it up: Their legacy will be bombs and
tanks. The senior British officer predicted the lasting sentiment
would be gratitude and disappointment.

Moving out

5,500 British troops in Iraq, down from a peak of 46,000 at the
start of the war

4 southern provinces put under control of British forces: Muthanna,
Dhi Qar, Maysan and Basra. They withdrew from Muthanna in July 2006,
Dhi Qar in September 2006 and Maysan in April of this year

164 British troops have died in Iraq since 2004; 127 as a result
of hostile action

Source: MOD, icasualties.org, Times research