Article

2003-03-25 Iraq

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by A 2003-03-25 12:15 pm|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 It's from the BBC reporters weblog.

Posted by growler 2003-03-25 11:43:51|| 2003-03-25 11:43:51|| Front Page Top

#2 Verrry interesting, if it's true. Maybe they've finally realized we're staying this time. Can't say I blame them for being skeptical.

Posted by tu3031 2003-03-25 11:43:57|| 2003-03-25 11:43:57|| Front Page Top

#3 Fascinating... I was just about the post the following, from AP:

British to Fight Militia Forces in Basra
In an about-face, British forces said Tuesday they had decided to move against militia fighters who blocked them from securing the southern Iraqi city of Basra -- even as Iraqi forces in the area allegedly began using civilians as human shields.

British troops fighting around Basra reported "gunmen, irregular forces, coming forward with civilians in front of them," British commander Col. Chris Vernon told the British Broadcasting Corp. "Clearly, we cannot engage the gunmen for risk of causing undue civilian death."

British Royal Marines fired artillery at Iraqi troops around the city Tuesday in a bid to continue the push northward, despite a strong sandstorm that slowed the pace and thwarted coalition air missions across Iraq.

Previously, coalition forces said they wanted to avoid urban combat in Iraq's second-largest city.

The decision to declare parts of Basra "military targets" came after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said "urgent measures" had to be taken to restore electricity and water.

British forces have surrounded Basra and secured its airport but have continued to face resistance fighters, including members of Saddam Hussein's elite Fedayeen paramilitary force.

Posted by Fred 2003-03-25 11:46:13|| 2003-03-25 11:46:13|| Front Page Top

#4 We need for this to happen. This could be the story of the day, if the "dead-enders" can't put it down. I see the story is being reported now on CNN radio

Posted by Capsu78 2003-03-25 11:47:55|| 2003-03-25 11:47:55|| Front Page Top

#5 Huge News!!!

Posted by Anonymous 2003-03-25 11:49:49|| 2003-03-25 11:49:49|| Front Page Top

#6 I really hope this spreads. Keep your fingers crossed.

Posted by Yosemite Sam 2003-03-25 11:52:10|| 2003-03-25 11:52:10|| Front Page Top

#7 Maybe this answers liberlhawk's suspicions earlier. Iraqi armour moving out of Basra because they were feeling the heat from the populace. Heck, maybe they even had their turrets turned away, trying to surrender at speed to the relatively friendly infidels, whilst simultaneously covering their rear from rolling-pin wielding housewives.

Posted by Bulldog 2003-03-25 11:52:29|| 2003-03-25 11:52:29|| Front Page Top

#8 This brings to mind the one way that Saddam has left for increasing the tempo...
Gassing civilians.
If that were to start, I'd hope that our military would conclude that the best way to minimize civilian losses would be to remove the kid gloves.

Posted by Dishman 2003-03-25 11:54:58|| 2003-03-25 11:54:58|| Front Page Top

#9 Fox was just carrying Sky News coverage of this. Baath Party HQ was bombed, US and UK forces are trying to help, but hindered by darkness. Tough to seperate good guys from bad guys in the dark.

Posted by Steve 2003-03-25 11:58:19|| 2003-03-25 11:58:19|| Front Page Top

#10 It's ironic that the BBC has still got an article up entitled "Basra: Why they are not cheering?"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2884769.stm

Posted by A 2003-03-25 12:05:41|| 2003-03-25 12:05:41|| Front Page Top

#11 Slightly OT, but why does the media insist on calling the Saddamite goon squads things like "Saddam Hussein's elite Fedayeen paramilitary force?" There's nothing "elite" about a bunch of street thugs with AK-47s.

Posted by Mike 2003-03-25 12:14:37|| 2003-03-25 12:14:37|| Front Page Top

#12 Mike,

It's the hats. You can't be an "elite Fedayeen" without a hat.

Posted by Fred 2003-03-25 12:18:02|| 2003-03-25 12:18:02|| Front Page Top

#13 Now I understand why we haven't taken down the Iraqi media. The Iraqis wouldn't rise up until they knew that we were willing to shed Yankee and Brit blood. Now they know, thanks to Saddam and his thugs.

Posted by 11A5S 2003-03-25 12:21:51|| 2003-03-25 12:21:51|| Front Page Top

#14 more from the BBC

" Basra :: Richard Gaisford :: 1753GMT

The people have risen up against Saddam Hussein's regime and the Iraqi soldiers who are still within the city are starting to fire mortars upon their own countrymen.

Artillery is going in to try to destroy these mortar positions - they have special radar equipment which can trace exactly where it is coming from.

As quickly as the mortar rounds come off, they are then piling artillery in. In the last few minutes we have heard they have dropped a large bomb on the ruling Ba'ath party headquarters.

Two large explosions were heard. We were told the headquarters had been destroyed.

We had thought that troops would be going into the city tonight. But it may be they will wait until first light to see when the situation is clearer."

Yes, Bulldog, that what I was suspecting, though Im not certain they are related.

11A5s has a good point.

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-03-25 12:23:51|| 2003-03-25 12:23:51|| Front Page Top

#15 Using shields just might have pushed them over the edge.

They know we're staying this time.

Posted by Anonymous 2003-03-25 12:30:38|| 2003-03-25 12:30:38|| Front Page Top

#16 Mr. Gaisford's postings no longer appear on the BBC reporters weblog ("war diaries") though they are still reporting the uprising.

A technical glitch, or something else?

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-03-25 12:33:01|| 2003-03-25 12:33:01|| Front Page Top

#17 glitch?

perhaps the above was too detailed. Do the baddies read Rantburg?? Should the above post be deleted? ( I wont take it personally)

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-03-25 12:35:00|| 2003-03-25 12:35:00|| Front Page Top

#18 Cnn says it's true.

Posted by raptor 2003-03-25 12:52:48|| 2003-03-25 12:52:48|| Front Page Top

#19 Yosemite Sam , I agree . oppression sucks bad - maybe the civs are seeing that we aint that bad bear saddam has made us to be over 30 years of hard times . one fight is all it takes to get the courage to over run a maniac

Posted by Biggus 2003-03-25 12:53:00|| 2003-03-25 12:53:00|| Front Page Top

#20 The press has been gleefully reporting the lack of "cheering in the streets". They'll be so sad to see anything like this.

Posted by Anonymous 2003-03-25 13:01:06|| 2003-03-25 13:01:06|| Front Page Top

#21 This is the most encouraging news since Friday, in my opinion. If the Shi'as come to see us as liberators and recognize that we're serious about deposing Saddam, this could free up a lot of security for our logistics and rear areas for the main event up north.

Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-25 13:17:29|| 2003-03-25 13:17:29|| Front Page Top

#22 About time! They finally connected the dots and realized that, as long as these assholes were running things, they couldn't get humanitarian aid. They decided they weren't going to buy the argument: I am not responsible for the suffering you are feeling because I am fighting the invaders who would relieve you of that suffering.

Grab the bastards and hang them high!

Posted by Ptah 2003-03-25 13:24:24|| [www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2003-03-25 13:24:24|| Front Page Top

#23 Last report from Basra said Thugs were mortering civilians,and Brits were lobing in artillery shells at those locations. This thing may have been orchestrated
I can envision Special Ops in Basra spending the afternoon painting target locations, setting off a couple of big booms at sundown at Bathe Party HQ, and saying "Let's get this party started"... and invite others out onto the dance floor. Reports say Brits won't go in until morning. It should be a chaotic night for the dead enders. Smoke, sandstorms, chaos in the streets, tar and feather parties forming, no place to hide for bad guys...a virtual wet dream for SF.

Posted by Capsu78 2003-03-25 13:51:33|| 2003-03-25 13:51:33|| Front Page Top

#24 Latest from Sky News: Baath thugs are dressed as US troops and accepting surrender of Iraqi soldiers. Then taking them out and shooting them. I wondered where those uniforms went, this is one I had not thought of. Evil, but clever.

Posted by Steve 2003-03-25 14:20:40|| 2003-03-25 14:20:40|| Front Page Top

#25 Any Ba'ath S.O.B. masquerading in one of our uniforms should be shot as a spy if caught--the same thing we did to Skorzeny's men in the Bulge.

Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-25 14:33:15|| 2003-03-25 14:33:15|| Front Page Top

#26 Thugs were mortering civilians
Sadly, I'm sure one reason we are not going in, is so that when CNN does, it will be harder to insist that America was to blame for civilian the carnage. Not that they won't manage.

Posted by becky 2003-03-25 15:14:57|| 2003-03-25 15:14:57|| Front Page Top

#27 As of this afternoon, this is the most detailed account I can find of what's going on in Basra. It's from ITV:

British troops are said to be firing on Basra in support of a "popular uprising" against Saddam Hussein's troops by the people of Iraq's second city, according to military sources.

Thousands of people took to the streets of the key strategic city in the early evening and began rampaging through areas heavily populated by known sympathisers of the country's regime.

By nightfall dozens of buildings were on fire as the predominantly Shia Muslims of the south took their revenge after years of domination by Saddam Hussein's Sunni Muslim ruling Ba'ath party.

Mortars were fired at rebels who took to the streets in support of Allied forces encircling the city on three fronts.

The public revolt was one of the British force's main objectives and undercover intelligence officers have been working in the port city for weeks trying to foment exactly this kind of unrest.

The disorder gave the troops of the 7th Armoured Brigade - the famous Desert Rats - the perfect opportunity to move into the city and take control of a battleground whose capture is vital to the allies.

Earlier, British forces destroyed 20 Iraqi tanks as fighting intensified around the city. Scores of Iraqis are thought to have been killed.

Posted by Patrick Phillips 2003-03-25 15:16:01|| 2003-03-25 15:16:01|| Front Page Top

#28 Fred:

LOL on the hats comment!

In all seriousness, calling a goon squad "elite" is an insult to real elite troops like the Rangers, or the Black Watch, or the Marines, or the Gurkhas. (You don't want someone like the Gurkhas mad at you--they have those long knives and they like to use them.)

Posted by Mike 2003-03-25 15:18:45|| 2003-03-25 15:18:45|| Front Page Top

#29 Mike--I've felt exactly the same way. Every time the media call the Republican Guard "elite", I snicker. They're nothing more than well-equipped thugs who can't even begin to compare to any US or UK line division, much less TRUE elites like Seals, SAS, Delta, and the like.

Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-25 15:46:06|| 2003-03-25 15:46:06|| Front Page Top

#30 Dar,
My local gangbangers are better equipped than these "elite" thugs and dress better, too. These guys are Uday's psycho youth groups who get to pretend they are capo's in Udays army. I think "small animal torturer" during youth is a prerequisite. They need to ferret out these "lost boys" and drive a stake through there hearts.

Posted by Capsu78 2003-03-25 16:33:54|| 2003-03-25 16:33:54|| Front Page Top

#31 When I hear of these "elite" fighters, I can't help thinking of that scene from The Raiders of the Lost Ark. You know the one, where the mighty Arab fighter swings his sword around before Harrison Ford just pulls out a gun and shoots him.

Posted by becky 2003-03-25 20:53:08|| 2003-03-25 20:53:08|| Front Page Top

10:11 raptor
08:38 raptor
01:28 R. McLeod
01:13 R. McLeod
00:54 R. McLeod
00:46 R. McLeod
00:44 R. McLeod
00:20 Bill
00:07 (lowercase) matt
23:45 OldSpook
23:29 tu3031
23:29 tu3031
23:20 tu3031
23:12 tu3031
23:08 tu3031
21:59 (lowercase) matt
21:50 eric
21:44 (lowercase) matt
21:39 eric
21:13 Dar Steckelberg
21:10 Dar Steckelberg
21:09 RW
21:07 Alaska Paul
21:02 Brew