On Wednesday 17 December soldiers from the First Battalion The Light Infantry in Basrah broke up a major tribal feud after two days of violence in the city. The fighting, between the Al-Abtut and Al-Hamadne tribes, ended after a one-hour gun battle between a hundred tribal members which left at least ten people injured. The dispute began in the Al Hartha area on Wednesday 17 December after a disagreement over a CD recording in the local market.
| That sounds like reasonable grounds for a shootout between 100 guys... |
It quickly spiraled into violence, and within hours groups of armed men were on the streets. British troops moved in to keep the tribes separated, and one Iraqi man was shot dead after he aimed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at one of their vehicles.
"Jones!"
"Yessir?"
"Explain to the survivors: that's a no-no!" |
Major Karl Hickman, commander of D Company 1LI, said a truce which, had been hastily brokered, broke down a few days later. âOne of the WARRIOR crews on patrol spotted a large group of armed men, and another firefight began,â he said. âWe deployed to the area to try and identify the troublemakers without becoming embroiled in the firefight itself.â The British troops were fired upon on several occasions with small arms and RPGs. One rocket hit Maj Hickmanâs WARRIOR, but bounced off and caused no damage. âThere was a bright flash, and that was it,â he said. âThere is a small dent in the side of the vehicle, but thatâs about it.â
| That right there is enough to frustrate the hell out of a turban. They'll probably seethe for months over that. |
As the firefight continued, two Challenger 2 tanks from D Sqn The Queenâs Royal Hussars were deployed to assist. Showing great discipline, the troops encircled the battle and began firing warning shots to encourage the tribes to disperse. As the fighters scrambled away, they were followed by the Challengersâ thermal sights, which enable the houses they were hiding in to be identified. A search operation was mounted and 25 men were arrested, many of whom were heavily armed.
| "Hands up, Mahmoud! Drop the FROG launcher!" |
Four heavy machine guns, ten AK47s, an RPG launcher and a considerable amount of ammunition were recovered, including 25 RPG rounds. The captured tribesmen were handed over to Iraqi Police. âThe fighting was so intense that a large number of innocent people could have been shot and killed,â Maj Hickman said.
| "Luckily, all the bad boyz were standing out in the middle of the street, looking heroic as they fired from the hip." |
âThis kind of fighting has restricted the amount of reconstruction work we have been able to do in this area. âIâm quite certain that it would have been a lot worse if we hadnât been there.â Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Cuthbert, Commanding Officer of The Queenâs Royal Hussars Battlegroup, called a meeting with the Sheiks of the tribes involved and brokered a ten-day ceasefire to allow them to come to a peace agreement. âThese two tribes have been feuding with each other for the last 40 years,â Maj. Hickman added.
"They started it."
"Did not. You started it!"
"Did not!"
"Liar!"
"Go fer yer guns, Mahmoud!"
"KNOCK IT OFF!" |
âBut we have left the sheiks in no doubt that ny further violence will be severely punished, and that the blame will be laid firmly at their doors.â
"Happens again, you guys lose your sheikh licenses. Understand?"
"Yes, effendi. (mutter mutter mutter...)" |
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