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Looking For Trouble |
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March 23 |
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(Published March 24) ON THE southern approaches to Basra the ground shudders and the sky is lit up by blinding flashes. In the distance, parachute flares sink slowly to earth as the dull thud of gunfire and falling bombs appears to come from all directions. As British troops fan out to secure the area around Basra, the sky is orange from the fires burning in the nearby oilfields. Ahead of us, Warrior armoured personnel carriers and Challenger tanks tear across the countryside, taking on Iraqi units wherever they find them. Caught near a bridge, half a dozen Iraqi tanks open fire on the advancing Challengers but are quickly despatched. The fight to secure the hinterland of Iraq's second city is intense, with B-52s raining down high explosive bombs on those attempting to resist the onslaught. With the US Marine tank divisions that had been first through breeches in the Kuwaiti border pulling out to join the main thrust of the American attack towards Baghdad, the siege of Basra has become a purely British operation. They have encountered what one senior officer described as "serious opposition". By daybreak, the British forces in the area, led by the Black Watch, have taken control, Iraqi units abandoning their positions and fleeing. But a new, more dangerous threat, is emerging. Retreating Iraqi troops have dumped their uniforms but not their weapons. Civilians are seizing whatever they can find to oppose the advance of the coalition forces. Throughout yesterday, British troops found themselves under fire from people in civilian clothing using rifles, machine guns and even rocket propelled grenades. British commanders admitted last night it was becoming a major headache and it appeared to be getting worse. The sheer volume of abandoned ordinance, left behind by retreating troops, has provided ample opportunity for anyone so inclined to arm themselves against the invading troops. Everywhere the troops go they find abandoned equipment. Tanks sit dug into defensive positions, armoured personnel carriers stand by the edge of the road. Artillery pieces have been left where they stand. As we continue, the discovery of an enormous weapons cache at the Az Zubayr heliport, along with evidence that it has already been looted, only deepens concerns that the resistance will continue. Major Dougie Hay, whose Warrior crews took over from US forces on Saturday, admits they have a difficult situation on their hands. He said: "When we arrived the Americans were in the middle of a firefight to the north and we have had several contacts with the Iraqis. In one incident a platoon commander heard gunshots and we managed to apprehend a number of individuals, mainly civilians, who were looting the oil pumping station, taking everything they could get their hands on - anything that could be put in a car. "Even the oil workers' houses have all been ransacked. Some at gunpoint, and we have been trying to help them." He added: "We now suspect elements of the Republican Guard have infiltrated into the southern army to boost its fighting ethos, so there are small bands of determined men running around providing an unpredictable threat to our troops." Even as Major Hay is speaking there are reports coming over the radio of people in civilian clothing firing at UK troops. One Warrior crew has been attacked four times by rocket-propelled grenades during the space of the morning, although there are no casualties. Major Hay says that civilian clothing or not, they will be considered targets if they attack British troops. He said: "We are at war and anyone who fires on my soldiers will be fired on." Soldiers moving through the countryside here have received a mixed response from the local population. Some regard the coalition forces with solemn fury, while others smile and wave their greetings. Parked by the roadside, one troop convoy sees both sides in the space of a couple of minutes. With so many reports of civilians firing on military personnel and journalists independent of the army, the troops are edgy and keep any approaching vehicles covered with their weapons. In the distance a car approaches with two men inside who glare at the soldiers, pointing their rifles at them. They turn in their seats holding their stares as they drive past, but moments later another two men appear further up the road approaching the army position. They stop when they realise that the weapons are trained on them, but advance when the soldiers beckon them forward. As they pass they raise their hands and hail the soldiers with the greeting, "salaam alaikum" (peace be with you). Since crossing into Iraq on Saturday morning the Black Watch troops have barely paused for breath as they try to control the countryside that will open the way to Basra, but the problem they now face is escalating rapidly. By mid -afternoon reports are coming in of Iraqi activity all around the sector. "I've never seen anything like it," says one officer. "The b******* are everywhere." As evening fell, forward units of the 1st Regiment Royal Fusiliers were driving past the husks of bombed-out Iraqi tanks in military complexes a few kilometres south of Basra, the wreckage from the opening bombardment of the war. Officers in charge of the Iraqi 51st Division surrendered on Saturday, in charge of a 10,000 strong force assigned to hold the southern approach to Basra. Individual units from the division put up limited resistance as British forces swept north and east around the city. There was, however, a brief flurry of lighters in the night as celebratory cigarettes were lit following reports filtering through the radio that 'Chemical Ali', the Iraqi general who had ordered the chemical attacks on the Kurds, had been killed nearby. Tanks from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards saw their first action last night in a series of battles with Iraqi resistance on the outskirts of Basra. Their Challenger 2 tanks took out five Russian-built T55 tanks close to the airport. In a fierce battle lasting four hours, the Dragoon Guards encountered numerous enemy units less than a mile from their position, but escaped unscathed as they eliminated a number of Iraqi units armed with rocket -propelled grenades and three armoured personnel carriers, as well as the Russian tanks. But the Dragoon Guards also faced problems from civilian resistance. Within minutes of a road block being set up, two cars, apparently driven by civilians, had been stopped - both later found to be carrying weapons. One had 52 guns concealed in the back. The other had four weapons in the boot. "It's madness out there. We've got civvies with RPGs firing at us," said one officer. As night fell on the outskirts of Basra there was more disturbing news as reports of as many as 50 Iraqi tanks heading in the direction of Basra airport were received. US warplanes were called in to assist, although the threat remained as the Dragoon Guards set up camp for the night. The British push into Iraq had begun in the early hours of Saturday morning. Throughout the day the 7th Armoured Division advanced into Iraq on the two approach roads to Basra, Challenger tanks and armoured personal carriers stretched along their entire length. Newly liberated Iraqis stood by the side of the road but neither cheered nor waved. As with many of the British soldiers experiencing war for the first time, driving slowly in convoy, the Iraqis appeared to have been silenced by the scale of the advance. One column of tanks along the main highway to Basra was stalled for several hours when a Challenger drove over a booby-trapped culvert, fracturing its hull but leaving the crew with minor injuries. It was the only ordnance encountered during the advance. The threat of mines has not materialised. "It's going to take more than a mine to stop us now," said one tank driver. On the outskirts of the city, its lights shining through a break in an earthen rampart, the hulking forms of US army carriers belonging to units yet to pull back could be seen. "We're waiting for the Brits," said one voice with a Deep South accent. "No, we're waiting for you," came back the reply from the convoy. The moment of humour was lost almost at once when the words came through over the soldiers' headsets, "we have a blue-on-blue" - the code words for friendly fire. It was reported that further up the road, an Apache attack helicopter had hit an M1 Abrams tank "They're getting trigger happy now," said one British soldier, and the eerily formal sounding term "fratricide" could be heard in the night. While tank components of the Royal Fusiliers moved in to hold four strategic bridges leading to the city, advance forces continued their movement northwards, crossing the Shatt al-Basra in the early hours of yesterday morning, to within a few miles of the Iranian border. With Basra almost surrounded British forces have begun laying siege to the city to allow it time to capitulate to avoid what a senior British officer described as the "worse case scenario" of urban warfare. "We aim to sit tight and let them realise that there is no more help coming to them. We realise after Umm Qasr they have more fight in them than we expected," said the officer. "We hope that they'll realise soon enough that now is the time to lay down their arms and surrender peacefully." The Red Cross yesterday warned that a humanitarian disaster was imminent in Basra, where water and electricity supplies have been cut off for more than two days. Electricity cables powering the major Wafa al-Quaid water station - which supplies two million people and is the biggest source in the region - have been destroyed.
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(Original copy) ON the southern approaches to Basra the ground shudders and the sky is lit up by blinding flashes. In the distance parachute flares sink slowly to earth as the dull thud of gun-fire and falling bombs appears to come from all directions. As British troops fan out to secure the area around Basra the sky is orange from the fires burning in the nearby oilfields. Ahead of us Warrior armoured per-sonnel carriers and challenger tanks tear across the country-side, taking on Iraqi units wherever they find them. Caught near a bridge, half a dozen Iraqi T55 tanks opened fire on the advancing Challengers, the Royal Regiment of Tanks, but are quickly despatched. The fight to secure the hinterland of Iraq's second city is intense with B52's rain-ing down high explosive bombs on those attempting to resist the onslaught. By daybreak, the British forces in the area, led by the Black Watch, have taken control, Iraqi units abandoning their positions and fleeing. But a new, more dangerous threat, is emerging. Retreating Iraqi troops have dumped their uniforms but not their weapons and civilians too are seizing whatever they can find to oppose the advance of the coalition forces. Throughout the day yesterday British troops found themselves under fire from people in civilian clothing using rifles, machine guns and even rocket propelled grenades. British commanders admitted last night that it was becoming a major headache and it appeared to be getting worse. The sheer volume of abandoned ordinance, left behind by retreating troops, has provided ample opportunity for anyone so inclined to arm themselves against the invading army. Everywhere the troops go, they find abandoned equipment. Tanks sit dug into defensive positions, armoured personnel carriers stand by the edge of the road. Artillery pieces have been left where they stand. As we continue the discovery of an enormous weapons cache at the al Zubaya heliport, along with evidence that it has already been looted only deepens concerns that the resistance will continue. Major Dougie Hay, whose Warrior crews took over from US forces on Saturday, admits they have a difficult situation on their hands. He said: "When we arrived the Ameri-cans were in the middle of a firefight to the north and we have had several contacts with the Iraqi's. In one incident a platoon commander heard gunshots and we managed to apprehend a number of individuals mainly civilians, who were looting the oil pumping station, taking everything they could get their hands on, anything that could be put in a car. Even the oil workers houses have all been ransacked. Some at gun-point, and we have been trying to help them." He added: " We now suspect that elements of the Republican guard have been infiltrated into the southern army to boost it's fighting ethos so there are small bands of determined men running around everywhere providing an unpredictable threat to our troops. There are armed caches all over the place and every Iraqi civilian seems to have a personal stock of weapons." Even as Major Hay is speaking there are reports coming over the radio of people in civilian clothing firing at UK troops. One Warrior crew has been attacked four times by Rocket Propelled Grenade's during the space of the morning, although all have missed and there are no casualties. Major Dougie Hay says that civilian clothing or not, they will be considered targets if they attack British troops. He said: "We are at war and anyone who fires on my soldiers will be fired on." Soldiers moving through the countryside here have received a mixed response from the local population. Some regard the coalition forces with solemn fury, whilst others smile and wave their greetings. Parked by the roadside one troop convoy sees both sides in the space of a couple of minutes. With so many reports of civilians firing on military personnel and journalists independent of the army, the troops are edgy and keep any approaching vehicles covered with their weapons. In the distance a car approaches with two men inside who glare at the soldiers pointing their rifles at them. They turn in their seats holding their stares as they drive past, but moments later another two men appear further up the road approaching the army position. They stop when they realise that the weapons are trained on them but advance when the soldiers beckon them forward. As they pass they raise their hands and hail the soldiers with greeting Sallaan Alakoum - Peace be with you. Since crossing into Iraq on Sat-urday morning the Black Watch has barely paused for breath as it tires to control the country-side that will open the way to Basra, but the problem they now face is escalating rapidly. By mid-afternoon reports are coming in of Iraqi activity all around the sector. "I've never seen anything like it," says: one officer. "The bastards are everywhere."
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(News story published March 24) BRITISH troops mopping up Iraqi opposition outside Basra have discovered a large cache of weapons, including Russian-made cruise missiles and warheads, hidden inside fortified bunkers at a massive arsenal abandoned by Saddam Hussein's disintegrating southern army. It also emerged last night that a number of cargo crates amid the lethal arms depot bore the stamp and address of one of Britain's most respected arms firms, Wallop Defence Systems, which supplies guided missiles technology to the British and United States army. Wallop, a subsidiary of Cobham plc, a British aviation conglomerate, is based in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, and specialises in high-reliability Missile Tracking Flares for tail-tracked guided missiles and electrically-initiated Rocket Motor Igniters. The weapons cache was discovered as forward units from the Black Watch regiment came across the abandoned Az Zubayr heliport base on the outskirts of Basra and penetrated a network of bunkers beneath the complex. As the Black Watch unit explored the bunkers, they were given an alarming insight into Iraq's weapons capability as they discovered cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition piled from floor to ceiling in dozens of individual storage bunkers. The vast military complex, to the south-west of Basra, is defended by a the surrounding area. Outside the complex, Black Watch units searched around 40 bunkers packed with a mixture of RPGs and other ammunition. Inside the perimeter, 22 larger fortified bunkers containing larger weaponry, including the al-Harith missiles, were discovered. The missiles, with al-Harith 2002 stencilled in red paint on the side and covered with Cyrillic writing, were housed in 60ft long concrete bunkers, 25ft high, buried under earth and protected by sliding steel double doors one foot thick. Painted grey, they had two wings, each about 2ft in span, and three tail fins on a similar size. There was no indication of the nature of the warheads fitted and experts have been called in to examine the find. Also housed inside the reinforced bunkers were what appeared to be large anti -shipping mines, 3ft in diameter, and a host of other munitions. On one box, written in English, were the words: "Contract AS Navy. 5/1980 Iran". According to one senior Black Watch officer, a number of the boxes were clearly marked with the names of British manufacturers and one pile of crates in a store housing rocket-propelled grenades bore the name of Wallop . It is not known how the weapons were sourced or indeed how they ended up in Iraqi hands but sources from the Ministry of Defence claimed that the find highlighted the threat from the burgeoning black market arms trade across the Middle East. In a related development, the US said it had protested to Moscow about reports Russian firms have sold Iraq anti-tank missiles, night vision goggles and jamming gear. A spokeswoman for the State Department said Moscow's response had not been satisfactory. In 1991, Wallop industries denied links to Iraq after secret documents found by Kurdish protesters in the Iraqi embassy showed Iraqi diplomats in London were at the hub of a widespread arms and ammunition procurement network going back at least ten years. The documents seized by the Kurds allegedly showed that during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqis tried to buy British rocket launchers to deflect missiles from armoured cars and helicopters. One document showed that Lt-Col S M Salman, an Iraqi military attache, had approached Wallop Industry Ltd in April 1984, for samples of 57mm rocket launchers which "could be installed on armoured cars and helicopters." The Iraqis wanted infra-red and chaff rockets to deflect heat-seeking missiles and fool radar systems. The approach was rejected, according to Clive Rushton, the company's finance director, who said at the time: "We made no supplies to Iraq at all. We receive many such inquiries, including from unfriendly countries, but our records show that we never supplied such goods to that country." After the find, 28 Kurds were found guilty of conspiring to cause criminal damage following their illegal occupation of the embassy. Several Black Watch units yesterday were involved in skirmishes with pockets of Iraqi troops and with civilians close to the heliport who had seized abandoned weaponry. One unit came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades four times, but each attack failed to find its target and there were no casualties.
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(Original copy) British troops mopping up Iraqi opposition outside Basra have discovered Cruise Missiles and warheads hidden inside fortified bunkers as a massive arsenal abandoned by Saddam Hussein’s disintegrating southern army. Cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition are piled from floor to ceiling in dozens of bunkers as what is marked on maps as the Az Zubayr Heliport. Some of the boxes are clearly marked with the names of British manufacturers. One pile of boxes in a store housing rocket propelled grenades bears the name of Wallop Industries Limited based in Middle Wallop in Hampshire. But the most disturbing find was two Russian-made Al-Harith anti-shipping Cruise missiles, each 20 feet long and three feet in diameter, and nine warheads, hid-den in two enormous re-inforced concrete bunkers. Another missile, as yet unidentified, was found still crated up at the rear of one of the bunkers. The scale and possible implications of the weapons find took British forces by surprise and raised fresh questions about the extent of the Iraqi war machine and the ability of weapons inspectors to cope with the task of scouring such a vast country for prohibited ordnance. The discovery of the missiles – date marked 2002 – came as British troops from the Black Watch Regiment fought to secure the area around Iraqi’s second city, Basra, in preparation for the capture of the city. Several units were involved in skirmishes with pockets of Iraqi troops and with civilians who have seized abandoned weaponry. One unit from the Black Watch came under attack from rocket propelled grenades four times yesterday (Sunday) morning, but there were no casualties. British commanders are concerned that many soldiers appear to have thrown away their uniforms and put on civilian clothing to continue harassing coalition forces, further complicating the task of securing the area. Another complication is that units of the Republican Guard appear to have been drafted into the south to beef up the fighting spirit of the mainly conscript army, which has been shattered by the intensity of the British and US attacks. It as while trying to secure the area around the heliport that units from the Black Watch stumbled upon the missiles and other weapons. The vast complex, surrounded by chainlink fence and barbed wire, stands to the south west of the town, defended by a network of earth works and with tanks and other armoured vehicles dug in to the surrounding area. But the defenders have fled after coming under attack from coalition forces. Outside the perimeter fence are approximately 40 bunkers packed with a mixture of RPGs and oth-er ammunition. Inside, 22 larger fortified bunkers contain larger weaponry including the Al-Harith missiles. The missiles, with Al-Harith 2002 stencilled in red paint on the side and covered with cyrilic writing, were housed in 60 foot long concrete bunkers, 25 feet high, buried under earth and protected by sliding steel double doors one foot thick. Painted grey, the missiles have two wings, each about two foot in span and three tail fins on a similar size. There was no indication of the nature of the warheads fitted and experts have been called in to examine the find. Also housed inside the re-inforced bunkers were what appeared to be large anti-shipping mines, three feet in di-ameter, and a host of other munitions. On one box, written in English, were the words: “Contract AS Navy. 5/1980 Iran.” Corporal Iain Robertson, from Kelso, said troops discovered the missiles when they spotted children breaking into the heliport yesterday morn-ing. “We came to see what they were looking at and found the bunkers with their doors wide open. When we went inside we came across those things,” he said. And Corporal Steven Airzee, from High Valleyfield in Fife, said: “The initial sight was a shock. We were trying to figure out what they were. You have to wonder whether the weapons inspectors have been there because they looked pretty big.” The entrance to the heliport is decorated with a picture of Saddam Hussein in military uniform. The are is surrounded by wrecked vehicles and abandoned sandbagged fox holes, some flying white flags, and is overlooked by a network of watch towers. Many of the buildings have already been looted by local people who have carried away anything which could be fitted into or onto a truck.There are also fears that weapons may have been taken from some of the bunkers which lie open outside the perimeter fence. Inside one, troops discovered open boxes containing RPGs and others containing motors for the same weapons. In the same building were a large pile of wooden weapons crates, unopened, marked with the name of the Hampshire company Wallop Industries Limited. The boxes, about eight inches wide, two foot long and two foot deep, bore red stickers warning: “Danger – do not load in passenger air-craft.” Lieutenant Angus Wat-son, from St Andrews, said they found the haul when they arrived on Saturday night. “The complex is massive and we were surprised to find a lot of the kit intact, easily enough for a whole brigade,” he said. They also discovered hundreds of leaflets lying on the floor, dropped by coalition planes, urging the defenders to surrender. One showed a picture of an undamaged chemical plant on one side, and the same plant in flames on the other. The leaflets, the size of $1 bill, and evidence of an aerial or artillery attack, appears to have persuaded the defenders to abandon their posts without a fight. But some units have stood their ground and in one engagement the Royal Tank Regiment destroyed six T54 Tanks which opened fire on them on Saturday night. About 70 prisoners of war were being held in the area yesterday, although the figure is expected to rise as the mop-ping up operation continues. One man who had apparently surrendered was shot dead when he refused to drop his rifle and advance towards troops. The Black Watch battle group, which is expected to be heavily involved in any attempt to capture Basra, has also secured the gas oil separation plant in the area, taken control of all points of entry into Az Zubayr, seized the main oil pumping station for southern Iraq and a petrochemical works. Major Nick Channer sec-ond in command of the Black Watch battle group, said they were consolidating their hold and calling in experts to examine the discoveries. He said units were patrolling with Arab speakers to establish the feelings of local people. “There is quite a lot of uncertainty about what is going on. One concern is that soldiers have taken off their uniforms and there is a lot of looting and thieving going on, a lot of it for weapons,” he said. “I don’t know whether they are to be used against us or because they are good currency. “There is a lot of evidence of uniforms being left in position and there have been a number of confrontations with the enemy, involving small arms fire from people who appeared to be civilians.” He said there were reports that Republican Guard had been moved into the area but he warned: “If anyone is still hanging about out there they are going to get the pasting of their lives.” There are unconfirmed reports of at least eight casualties among American troops after two anti-personnel mines exploded in the area.
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