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29-8-2003 Scotsman Soldier's death confirms British troops are prime target in Iraq By Defence Correspondent Gethin Chamberlain ANOTHER premeditated attack on British troops in Iraq left one soldier dead and another seriously injured and reinforced the impression that they are now being regarded as viable targets by Iraqi opposition fighters. Fusilier Russell Beeston, 26, became the 21st British soldier killed in combat and the 50th to die since the start of the war in Iraq. British troops in Iraq had initially appeared to have escaped the worst of the attacks since the end of the war, with US forces bearing the brunt of the daily killings. But Wednesday night's attack in the town of Ali Ash Sharqi in southern Iraq, about 200 km north west of Basra, suggested that the low key British tactics that have proved relatively successful are no guarantee of long-term success. Fusilier Beeston died when a convoy of troops from the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the 52nd Lowland Brigade was lured off the main highway and into an ambush by a crowd of people angry at the arrest of a popular local figure. As with the incident in nearby Majar Al Kabir when six military police officers were killed last month, the crowd was armed and angry. When the soldiers fired warning shots, the crowd responded with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. Fusilier Beeston was killed and another soldier suffered a serious hand injury. A spokesman for the KOSB said it was the first attack on British forces in that area of Maysan province. "There is no indication that this attack was deliberately targeted," he said, "but it came as the result of a crowd who, we suspect, were orchestrated into expressing their anger at the arrest of a well-known local figure." But an army spokesman said it appeared the convoy had been lured into an ambush by the use of a roadblock which diverted them into the town. The troops had been to the town of Ali Al Gharbi to arrest a popular local leader and were returning to their base in Al Ammarah when they came across the roadblock. As they drove into Ali Ash Sharqi they were met by a crowd of about 30 people. But when they got out of their vehicles to attempt to clear a path, they became aware that another crowd had appeared behind them close to a house used by the army in the town. "Sandwiched between two groups, which were 100m apart, the soldiers fired two warning shots in an attempt to separate the crowd and withdraw," the spokesman said. "Members of the crowd opened fire on the soldiers with small arms and RPGs. During the small arms exchange we can confirm that one British soldier was fatally wounded and another sustained a serious injury to his hand." The Acting Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, Major George Wilson, said there was nothing Fusilier Beeston's colleagues could do to save him. "Despite receiving immediate medical attention from his comrades, whilst under fire, regretfully Fusilier Russell Beeston died from his wounds. The thoughts and prayers of the Battalion are with Fusilier Beeston's family. He was a well liked and respected soldier, highly regarded by his peers," he said. The young part-time soldier, who was married but separated from his wife, was a member of the Territorial Army based at the TA centre in Glasgow. Yesterday the Commanding Officer of 52nd Lowland Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Wilson, said everyone's thoughts were with Fusilier Beeston's family. "Russell was a well liked and popular man who was utterly dedicated and had a good TA career ahead of him." Despite being trapped between the two crowds, Fusilier Beeston's colleagues were able to fight their way to safety, taking ten members of the crowd prisoner as they made good their escape. A medical immediate response team and an air reaction force were sent to give assistance and they were escorted back to Al Ammarah by an RAF Chinook helicopter armed with heavy machine guns. The death brought to 11 the number of British soldiers killed in action since 1 May, when major combat was declared over in the US-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sixty-four US soldiers have died from hostile fire over the same period. US forces have faced much more hostility in Iraq than their British counterparts, partly because the Americans patrol Baghdad and Sunni Muslim areas to its north and west, which were bastions of support for Saddam, and partly, many experts suggest, because the British have adopted a more low-key, measured approach. But the British troops responsible for mainly Shiite southern Iraq have faced a testing time in recent weeks. Three British military policemen were killed in an ambush on Saturday in Iraq's second city of Basra, where riots broke out earlier this month over fuel and electricity shortages. A British soldier was also killed by a bomb earlier this month. More British troops have now died at the hands of Iraqi gunmen since major combat was declared over, than during the initial invasion battle against Saddam's army. Fusilier Beeston is the third Territorial Army recruit to die and the announcement of his death coincided with the funeral of a fellow soldier from the same unit. Private Jason Smith, 32, from Galashiels, died in southern Iraq on 13 August. His funeral took place at Teviot Parish Church in Hawick yesterday afternoon.
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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