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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Britain to send in a further 4,000 troops to Iraq |
| 2004-05-02 |
| Thousands of additional troops are to be sent to Iraq to take control of the Shia holy city of Najaf in the largest expansion of British Forces since the start of the Gulf war, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal. Up to 4,000 troops will begin arriving in the next few weeks to plug the gap left by the 1,300 Spanish soldiers who were withdrawn from the country last week. It is understood that Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, took the decision to send the additional troops to Iraq after meeting President George W. Bush at a White House summit two weeks ago. The Government has so far refused to make an official announcement. Defence chiefs have backed the deployment, but have warned the Government that the Army is at full stretch and would struggle to deal with any other international emergency requiring personnel. Senior officers have also warned that the deployment of troops to Najaf and Kut, where heavy fighting has recently taken place, is likely to lead to extensive casualties. Najaf, which contains the most important Shia shrine in Iraq, is where Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shia cleric, has established a 3,000-strong militia force whose members are vehemently opposed to the occupation of their country. The British force will be composed of troops from the Royal Marine Commandos, a Parachute Regiment battalion and an as-yet unidentified infantry battalion, as well as supporting elements from artillery and logistics units. The force will be lead by Brig Jim Dutton, the commander of 3 Commando Brigade, who also served during the Iraq war. The first move towards deployment began last Thursday when a strategic reconnaissance team of senior Army officers from the Permanent Joint Headquarters, at Northwood, Middlesex, flew to Iraq. It is understood that officers from 3 Commando headquarters will also be flying out within the next week to conduct reconnaissance of the area. The reconnaissance team is expected to deliver its findings to Gen John Reith, the chief of Joint Operations, who will brief Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, on his plan of action. Mr Hoon will brief Mr Blair before he makes a formal statement to the House of Commons. The first tranche of troops, either from the Marines or the Parachute Regiment, could arrive in Iraq within the next two weeks and take up the position left by the Spanish troops in Najaf. At present, the region of Iraq south of Baghdad is divided into two military areas, commanded by multi-national divisions. Multi-National Division South East, which includes Basra, is commanded by Maj Gen Andrew Stewart and is where most of the British Army’s 7,500 troops are based. The extra troops will go to the neighbouring Multi-National Division Central South, which is under Polish command and is where the Spanish troops were deployed. The plan drawn up by senior British officers will result in the whole of the Central South divisional area being brought under the command of the British headquarters. It rules out the option of sending one of the Army’s two divisional headquarters to take over command of the area. Although it is possible that other countries may offer to commit more troops to Iraq instead of Britain, US generals have made it clear that their preferred option is for more British reinforcements. The move will have a significant impact on the Army’s future domestic commitments, such as large-scale exercises and routine deployments to Northern Ireland. However, the decision to send the troops is widely regarded among the chiefs as the least damaging option to both the security and stability of the Coalition. A senior Ministry of Defence official said: "Not sending troops was never really an option because of the message it would have sent to the rest of the Coalition. It is difficult to predict how long these troops will have to remain in Iraq, but it won’t be less than two years. This means that many troops, mainly from the infantry and logistical support units, will have to complete a six-month tour of duty in Iraq every 10 months. For reasons of morale, the interval target between operational tours is supposed to be 24 months. "Plans have been drawn up for the deployment of at least three battle groups and a brigade headquarters to Iraq. Officially, no decisions have been made on troop numbers, but privately units are already being told to prepare for operations." An MoD spokesman said that plans for the deployment of troops had been drawn up, but added: "Formal decisions have not yet been made." Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces minister, said that discussions were continuing with other members of the Coalition about how to respond to the withdrawal of Spanish troops, but declined to be drawn on specific plans. "It’s something that clearly had to be considered given the fact that there is a changed situation with the withdrawal of Spanish forces," Mr Ingram told Today on BBC Radio Four yesterday. "We are in discussion with our Coalition partners in all this. No decision has been taken. No formal request has yet been made." Najaf, which is a two-hour drive from Baghdad, contains the shrines where many of the important figures in Shia Islam, including the mosque where Ali, the founder of the faith, is buried. The stand-off between Coalition troops and supporters of Sadr in Najaf began four weeks ago when fighting broke out as protesters marched outside the garrison of the Spanish military contingent. Twenty people were killed, including soldiers from the US and El Salvador, and more than 100 injured in fighting between troops and Iraqi demonstrators who were marching in support of Sadr following the arrest of his aide and the closure of a pro-Sadr newspaper. The rebel cleric has warned Coalition troops that they will face suicide bomb attacks if they attack Najaf. The US has since avoided launching an all-out offensive against Najaf for fear of antagonising Iraqis. However, US troops killed 64 members of Sadr’s militia in Kufa, a small town six miles to the north east of Najaf on Monday night. |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #3 Saw a Discovery Chanel docu on the Royal Marines those guys define the words"Tough SOB's |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-05-02 9:29:52 PM |
| #2 Too right, raptor, especially the Royal Marines! Thanks a zillion, Britain! |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-05-02 9:37:40 AM |
| #1 Those are some of the baddest troops in the world. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-05-02 9:24:05 AM |