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| Iraq | |
| Crew member of Iraqi dhow shot dead as Kuwaitis enforce blockade | |
| 2003-03-17 | |
| A Kuwaiti gunboat opened fire on an Iraqi dhow killing a member of its crew on Saturday night, as tensions grew between coalition and Iraqi forces operating in the waters of the northern Gulf. The dhow, which is believed to have been attempting to smuggle oil or dates out of Iraq in breach of UN sanctions, was hit after it strayed into Kuwaiti territorial waters. Rock on, Kuwaitis! The boat, which had left the Khawr Abd Allah river just before 8pm, was part of a flotilla of more than 30 dhows and small merchant ships that had gathered together at the entrance to the estuary. They were planning a mass break-out to try to scatter the UN mandated forces that patrol Iraqi waters trying to stop the smugglers. The Kuwaiti gunboat challenged the dhow and when it failed to stop fired several warning shots across its bow. Radio transmissions between the two boats suggest the dhow refused to stop until the Kuwaitis stopped firing, while the Kuwaitis refused to stop firing until the dhow stopped. How dumb do you have to be not to realize who's in the stronger position here? A bullet, which the Kuwaitis claimed was a misdirected warning shot, then struck the dhow, hitting an Indian member of its crew. "You killed the crew member!" "He's not dead yet!" "Well he's mortally wounded!" "He's get-ting bet-ter!" The dhow, which had by now left Kuwaiti territorial waters, called for assistance, and a medical team from the Australian navy ship Kanibula boarded the boat. But they were unable to save the victim. The dhow, with the dead sailor still on board, then returned to Iraq. The captain of HMS Marlborough, Mark Anderson, said he was sure the Kuwaiti gunboat had not meant to hit the dhow. "I am sure that whoever was laying down these warning shots made a serious misjudgment," he said yesterday. "I am convinced they did not hit the dhow on purpose, but unfortunately the Iraqis may use this to try and muddy the waters."
Meanwhile, in another sign of escalating tensions in the region, an Iraqi gunboat — one of only a handful of serviceable vessels the Iraqi navy is believed to have left — appeared outside the entrance to the river over the weekend. When a US coastguard, also in the region to enforce UN sanctions, challenged the Iraqi gunboat it trained its weapons on the American vessel. After a brief standoff the two vessels went their separate ways. That Iraqi gunboat is going to have a short and exciting time. Then it's going to be very quiet. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 How Now Brown Dhow? I could not help myself.... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-17 09:53:06 |
| #3 "Supposedly, the ex-marine consultant was pissed off, but now I realize that he, being a consultant, was billing by the hour, and a reset and continuation of the exercise was cutting into the potential hours he could have charged. I've been in the consulting world before, and know whereof I speak..." Next time put him on FFP. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-17 09:03:47 |
| #2 Well, good for the Kuwaitis! Remember, there was a debacle of a computer exercise in which suicide Dhows were used to sink a couple of carriers. Everyone criticizes the way the top brass kept resetting the exercise, but the practical reason was that they realized that they had holes in their plans and couldn't very well halt the exercise and not learn where else their plans had holes. Supposedly, the ex-marine consultant was pissed off, but now I realize that he, being a consultant, was billing by the hour, and a reset and continuation of the exercise was cutting into the potential hours he could have charged. I've been in the consulting world before, and know whereof I speak... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-03-17 08:22:08 |
| #1 Aussies to the rescue! Are you sure that isn't the HMAS Kanimbla, and not the "Kanibula"? I don't think we have a Kanibula... |
| Posted by: anon 2003-03-17 06:19:06 |