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| Britain |
| Secret deal with al-Mahdi militia kept Brits out of Basra battle |
| 2008-08-07 |
| A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt. The deal, which aimed to encourage the Shia movement back into the political process and marginalise extremist factions, has dealt a huge blow to Britain's reputation in Iraq. Under its terms, no British soldier could enter Basra without the permission of Des Browne, the Defence Secretary. By the time he gave his approval, most of the fighting was over and the damage to Britain's reputation had already been done. The Ministry of Defence has never confirmed that there was a deal with al-Mahdi Army, but one official denied that the delay in sending in troops was because of the arrangement agreed with the Shia militia. A spokesman for the MoD said that the reason why troops were not sent immediately into Basra was because there was "no structure in place" in the city for units to go back in to start mentoring the Iraqi troops. Colonel Imad, who heads the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, the most experienced division, commanded one of the quick-reaction battalions summoned to assist British-trained local forces, who faltered from the outset because of inexperience and lack of support. He said: "Without the support of the Americans we would not have accomplished the mission because the British Forces had done nothing there. I do not trust the British Forces. They did not want to lose any soldiers for the mission." Lieutenant-Colonel Chuck Western, a senior US Marine advising the Iraqi Army, told The Times: "I was not happy. Everybody just assumed that because this deal was cut nobody was going in. Cutting a deal with the bad guys is generally not a good idea." He emphasised, however, that he was not being critical of the British military, which he described as first-rate. Captain Eric Whyne, another US Marine officer who took part in the battle, said that he was astounded that "a coalition force would make a pact with essentially their enemy and promise not to go into their area so as not to get attacked". He alleged that "some horrific atrocities" were committed by the militia in Basra during the British watch. A senior British defence source agreed that the battle for Basra had been damaging to Britain's reputation in Iraq. "You can accuse the Americans of many things, such as hamfistedness, but you can't accuse them of not addressing a situation when it arises. While we had a strategy of evasion, the Americans just went in and addressed the problem." Another British official said that the deal was intended as an IRA-style reconciliation. "That is what we were trying to do but it did not work." The official added that "accommodation" had become a dirty word. US officials knew of the discussions, which continued until March this year. They facilitated the peaceful exit of British troops from a palace compound in Basra last September in return for the release of a number of prisoners. The arrangement fell apart on March 25 when Mr al-Maliki ordered his surprise assault on Basra, catching both the Americans and British off-guard. The Americans responded by flying in reinforcements, providing air cover and offering the logistical and other support needed for the Iraqis to win. The British were partly handicapped because their commander, Major-General Barney White-Spunner, was away on a skiing holiday when the attack began. When Brigadier Julian Free, his deputy, arrived to discuss the situation with Mr al-Maliki at the presidential palace in Basra, he was made to wait outside. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #2 The British are coming doesn't mean what it used to. Sad for them. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-08-07 08:55 |
| #1 The British were partly handicapped because their commander, Major-General Barney White-Spunner, was away on a skiing holiday when the attack began. When Brigadier Julian Free, his deputy, arrived to discuss the situation with Mr al-Maliki at the presidential palace in Basra, he was made to wait outside. Something Peter Sellers or Terry Thomas about the above scene. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-08-07 07:39 |