British Storm Basra Jail with Tanks
Juan Cole has constructed a timeline of events leading up to the unrest in Basra.
“Anyway, here’s my timeline for what happened.”
September 5:
The BBC reports that “Fusilier Donal Anthony Meade -20- from Plumstead in south east London, and Fusilier Stephen Robert Manning -22- from Erith in Kent, were killed by a roadside bomb on 5 September 2005 . . . They had been travelling in a convoy which was hit about five miles east of Shaibah airbase, in Basra province.”
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The British appear to have believed that this attack was the work of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.
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The BBC reports, “Major Matthew Bacon was killed in an attack in Basra, in southern Iraq, on 11 September 2005 when a roadside bomb struck the armoured vehicle he was travelling.”
So the British are facing increased casualties and concerted attacks in early September. Convinced that the attacks are coming from Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, they finally move against that group on Sunday.
September 18:
FURTHER ON AL-SADR AIDE’S ARREST IN BASRA
IRAQ – MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION SOUTHEAST NAMES TERROR SUSPECTS:
- In the early hours of Sept. 18, an operation was conducted by Multi National Division – South-East, in the districts of Al Jameat and Tuninah in Basra. This operation was the result of an ongoing Multi-National Force investigation that identified individuals believed to be responsible for organizing terrorist attacks against Coalition forces, resulting in the deaths of nine members of Coalition forces in the past two months in Basra. The operation resulted in three individuals being detained.
Among those arrested are Sheik Ahmed Majid Farttusi and Sayyid Sajjad, known leaders of the Mahdi Militia in Basra.
“I am well aware that the people that we have arrested are prominent individuals in Basra,” commented Brigadier John Lorrimer, British Army commander of the 12th Mechanized Brigade in Basra. “But let me make it absolutely clear: we have acted against them as individuals, not as members of any particular organization. As the people of Basra you are entitled to your own religious beliefs and political opinions. Those are not matters for MNF. We will not, however, tolerate terrorism and will act against it whenever we can.”
There were immediate protests by Sadrists in Basra, who barricaded the streets in the center of the city. AP reported that “200 militiamen with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades set fire to tires as they barricaded main streets”. But then Muqtada’s envoys dispersed them, asking them to stand down.
Crowds of protesters, including members of the Mehdi Army, march on a Spanish garrison near Kufa April 4, 2004. [Reuters]
Mehdi Army militiamen were seen deployed inside and on the rooftop of the governor’s office in the British-controlled port city of Basra, alongside policemen who had been inside the building when it was overtaken.
British Army Storms Basra Jail to Free 2 Soldiers From Arrest
The New York Times – by SABRINA TAVERNISE
BAGHDAD Sept. 19 — Two British soldiers working under cover were arrested Monday in the southern city of Basra and then freed as a British armored vehicle blasted through the wall of their jail after an angry crowd began rioting outside, an Interior Ministry official said.
The official said that the soldiers were undercover officers dressed as Iraqis and that Iraqi police officers had arrested them after the men fired at a traffic police officer.
A British military spokesman in Basra confirmed that “two U.K. military personnel” had been detained early on Monday “in a shooting incident” and that troops had used an armored fighting vehicle “to gain entry” to the police station to release them. He said that more than one vehicle had been in the area and that the police inside the station had refused to obey orders from the Interior Ministry to release the men.
The Great Escape ◊ posted by lenin
The MoD’s story changes as rapidly as that collection of great minds can manage. Initially, a Ministry of Defense spokesman asked about the storming of an Iraqi prison by UK tanks (apparently backed up by helicopters), said:
- We have not had confirmation of the full details of this.
We’ve heard nothing to suggest we stormed the prison.
We understand there were negotiations.
This morning, the BBC reports:
- MoD officials said the men were being handed over to the British when local militants intervened and attempted to snatch them.
Soldiers forming a cordon around the police station became involved, and a wall was demolished by a British tank as they struggled to “collect” the men, the MoD said.
What the fuck? Alright, never mind, forget it. You try and figure out how the intervention of ‘local militants’ made it necessary to smash the walls down.
At any rate, if there were negotiations, the officials in Basra seem to know nothing of it. The governor describes the jail-break as a “barbaric act”. The Iraqi Interior Ministry’s account also differs slightly from the British one: they say six tanks were used to break down the walls and ‘rescue’ the two men from the jail.
Pull back a second. The background to this story is, apparently, that a number of members of the Mahdi Army were arrested on Sunday and tossed in the hoosegow. Subsequently, al-Sadr’s affiliates made a ‘show of force’ by blocking some roads, holding demonstrations and demanding the release of their confederates. And when – oh, hang on, BBC Breakfast has a statement from the British Army in Basra, and it appears they have changed their account yet again:
- Brigadier John Lorimer says that the Iraqi authorities had failed to hand over the two prisoners despite their best efforts to achieve this and were instead going to hand them over to insurgents.
So, they did storm the bloody prison after all? Ah, the sweet smell of official lies.
Anyway, and when these two undercover servicemen, whom the Mirror are describing as ‘SAS’ this morning (oh, please), were then approached by Iraqi policemen because they looked suspicious, they shot the policemen and were then captured. Locals then attacked British tanks.
[…]
As in “doesn’t the failure of the occupation show that we can’t leave just yet?” Oh yeah – imagine what would happen if we left.
There’d be death squads, extra-judicial executions, sectarian violence, mass murder, torture and rape. That would be awful.
MY DIARY ON EVENTS IN BASRA
Stand-off Basra :: Iraqi vs UK Forces –
Riots After UK Soldiers Arrested ¶ Updated!
BREAKING NEWS
JAIL BREAK –
UK USE TANKS TO ENTER POLICE COMPOUND
BBC News – UK soldiers ‘storm’ Basra prison
Yahoo News: Brits Use Tanks in Jailbreak.
Contrary statement from Governor of Basra ::
“Act of barbaric aggression”.
“UK Soldiers Have Been Released” Min of Defence
The official statement from the British Ministery of Defence (MoD) has just been read on BBC News:
After negotiations with local authorities …
A wall may have been knocked down …
Update [2005-9-22 03:00AM PST by Oui]:
Black-ops Boobs Blow Basra
Several articles have already turned the story against the angry Iraqis who fought the British tanks as they demolished the jail wall, painting them as aggressive Shia militia attacking the doe-eyed, innocent troops responding to the concern that their comrades were held by religious fanatics.
A photograph of a troop on fire comes complete with commentary that the vehicles were under attack during a “bid to recover arrested servicemen” that were possibly undercover. All criminal elements of British treachery are downplayed, the car’s explosive cache is never mentioned and the soldiers who instigated the affair are made victims of an unstable country they are defending.
Hilariously, all of this spin has already landed Iran at the top of the blame game. Because when the war combine botches its own clandestine terrorist acts, what better way to recover than by painting the soulless, freedom-hating country you’d love to invade next as the culprit? In a way, I almost admire the nerve of officials who are able to infer that Basra’s riots have nothing to do with fake insurgent bombing raids and everything to do with religious ties to a foreign country. It’s a sheer unmitigated gall that flies in the face of logic and reason.
“The Iranians are careful not to be caught,” a British official said as the UK threatened to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for sanctions. Too bad the British aren’t! Maybe then they’d be able to complete their black-ops mission without looking like complete fools in the process!
– Norgeson
● Sept. 14 – Iran IS Next Folks ◊ by alohaleezy
● Sept. 19 – MoD spokesman :: red infrared bombs from Iran
ASKING SERIOUS QUESTIONS – Australian TV News
The only outlet to ask any serious questions, was Australian TV news which, according to one viewer, gave “credibility to the ‘conspiracy theorists’ who have long claimed many terrorist acts in Iraq are, in fact, being initiated and carried out by US, British and Israeli forces”.
Brigadier General Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadr, the deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told a gathering of senior officials, that the U.S. needs those attacks to “justify the continuation of its military presence in Iraq”:
“The Americans blame weak and feeble groups in Iraq for insecurity in this country. We do not believe this and we have information that the insecurity has its roots in the activities of American and Israeli spies,” Zolqadr said.
“Insecurity in Iraq is a deeply-rooted phenomenon. The root of insecurity in Iraq lies in the occupation of this country by foreigners”.
“If Iraq is to become secure, there will be no room for the occupiers”.
BAGHDAD, Iraq Sept. 21 — About 500 civilians and policemen rallied today in Basra and denounced “British aggression” following London’s decision to use force to free two of its soldiers being held by Iraqi police.
The demonstrators in Basra, which included police and civilians waving pistols and AK47s, shouted “No to occupation!” and carried banners condemning “British aggression and demanding the freed soldiers be tried in an Iraqi court as “terrorists.”
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An Iraqi policemen holds up a pistol during a protest in Basra, Iraq, in which about 500 people demanded an apology for attack by British forces on the jail where two British nationals were held captive. AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani
Clashes between British forces and Iraqi police have killed five civilians, including two who died of their injuries Wednesday in a hospital.
Interior Minister Bayan Jabr disputed the British version of events. He told the BBC the two soldiers never left police custody or the jail, were not handed to militants, and that the British army acted on a “rumor” when it stormed the jail.
After British armored vehicles stormed the jail to free two commandos, National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said the operation was “a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”
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Already some of the Iraqi facts, coming from the Interior Minister Baqir Solagh Jabr in Baghdad, discounts just about everything UK MoD has released to the press as their version of events.
BBC World Radio reporter Richard Galpin in Baghdad, after interview of Iraqi Interior Minister earlier today ::
Incidents of past two days in Basra caused the deaths of 5 citizens.
● BBC News – Probe Into Incident
In London, the pictures of the violence made the war seem very real. Video of the burning soldier in Basra was shown repeatedly yesterday on the BBC and other news stations but the photographs in newspapers seemed more haunting, showing a man frozen in flames.
The decision to invade Iraq was equally made by Tony Blair and George Bush.
Blair and Bush decided to falsify the facts before Parliament and Congress, and they shared equally the blame for the presentation of Colin Powell before the Security Council of the United Nations.
The illegal war and occupation, with all the deaths, torture of men and women at all prison facilities including Abu Ghraib, destroying by their actions the International Geneva Conventions – all responsibility is for both the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Dutch troops were in a province under command of British forces, I have followed their work closely and am quite satisfied with the results within the Iraqi community. The Dutch Government decided not to continue their participation in the Iraq occupation and concentrate their troops in Afghanistan under NATO and some Special Forces under US Command. My personal interpretation is the Dutch leaders were not willing to share responsibility in the evil acts of the US led war in Iraq.
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Two British soldiers working under cover…
Well now. That’s certainly one way to put it. Sort of like entering a bank, wearing a ski mask and carrying a note and a loaded gun is “working under cover”.
Apparently they look that way to the Iraqis too. The puppet government must be getting overly embarrassed trying to explain why pale-skin guys pretending to be arab insurgents are killing civilians.
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It seems journalists in Iraq, the front in freedom of speech when you want democracy to flourish, have been killed, murdered, kidnapped and pressured into censorship.
Numerous diaries have been written to praise the courage of these men and women, yet this weekend many have died at the hands of murderous thugs.
Iraqi journalist Fakher Haidar al-Tamimi (R) posing for a picture at the Basra International airport. Tamimi, who worked for foreign media in the country, was found shot dead in the southern city of Basra after he was kidnapped overnight, his wife said. AFP/Essam al-SudaniIraqi journalist Fakher Haidar al-Tamimi
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A grab from footage released today, shows weapons which Iraqi police said were confiscated from two undercover British soldiers (SAS) after their arrest in Basra. Al-Iraqiya/Reuters/TVpacked with explosives ◊ by caribmon @dKos
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Video Grab – SAS Cache with Rocket Launcher …
plus grenades – timing devices – detonators
Video grab shows weapons Iraqi police say were confiscated from undercover British soldiers (SAS) arrested in Basra.
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Riots After UK Soldiers (SAS) Arrested ¶ Updated!
Explosives Missing?
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Where have we heard this before …
You think MoD will file a complaint with Basra Governor to have explosives returned?
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BASRA (AFP) Sept. 22 — Local authorities in Iraq’s southern city of Basra have said they will refuse to engage with British troops following a British raid on a police station this week.
“All regular meetings between the governorate and British troops have been cancelled and we will not allow British soldiers into the governorate building or any other public office in Basra,” according to Nadim al-Jaabari, spokesman for the provincial governor.
The head of the 41-member provincial council, Mohammed Saadun al-Abidi, confirmed the decision to refuse all contacts with British forces which are responsible for security in the region.
“Yesterday, the provincial council voted in session to boycott British troops and we are demanding that they return the two British soldiers to Iraqi custody,” Abidi said.
A British soldier and an Iraqi policeman in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Local authorities in Basra have said they will refuse to engage with British troops following a British raid on a police station this week. AFP/Essam Al-Sudani“We are aware of reports of a boycott, but we are waiting until we can establish that is the case and come up with a plan,” British army spokesman Major Steve Melbourne told AFP.
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~ Posted from diary A Toothless Lion? ~
The UK contingent is down from 35,000 to 8,500, in addition many coalition troops under UK Command have left Iraq: Spain, partly Poland and the Netherlands.
The British strategy is the same as where the Dutch were very successful: cooperation and coexistence with the local government. The liason on a daily basis with the local police and government is this lifeline to gather intelligence on subversive elements in the city and region. Meanwhile training the police forces to take over authority.
Following the Dutch closely, on just a few occasions the Dutch got into problems – and lost two men during their stay. These moments were when the U.S. Army pressured the militia of Muqtada Al Sadr near the holy sites of Najaf and the second attack launched by the U.S. on Fallujah and the UK Blackwatch Forces offered U.S. support near Baghdad.
During a period – April 2004 – the Dutch lost all cooperation and received no further intelligence. Rogue elements of Al Sadr militia from outside the province came in, got local support and launched terror attacks on the Dutch forces. In analogy, the Brits have just lost their eyes and ears to know what is happening in Basra. A dangerous and ominous sign, for the Iraqis have just one loyalty: Allah – thus the Islam – and Nationalism.
When the Al Sadr militia came in, they got full cooperation from not only local citizens, but also the police and local administration. Reminds me of a Dutch acquaintance in the oil business for over thirty years in Saudi Arabia. He meets with the Saudis regularly, believed he made friends, but there remains a separation undefined. He knows when violence would break out, he has to watch his back especially for these friends. Iraq is a keg of powder, one never knows if and when it will ignite.
On the contrary, I have made lifelong friendship with several Arab nationals in the Netherlands and in the U.S.
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Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold his pictures and cheer during a speech at Friday prayers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra today. Imam Asaad al-Nasiri, a representative of Sadr from Najaf, told the crowd that British troops should release Iraqi militia members detained last week and return two British soldiers to the Iraqi police. REUTERS/Atef HassanBAGHDAD, Iraq – British troops in the tense southern city of Basra greatly reduced their presence in the streets, apparently responding to a provincial governor’s call to sever cooperation until London apologized for storming a police station to free two of its soldiers.
For the second day, no British forces were seen accompanying Iraqi police on patrols of Basra, as they routinely had in the past.
Elsewhere in Iraq
Near the northern city of Kirkuk, a bomb damaged an oil pipeline, sending plumes of black smoke and fire up into the air, officials said.
Unidentified men in a speeding car wielding machine guns killed local police commander Col. Fadil Mahmoud Mohammed and his driver Thursday morning near Baquba, north of Baghdad, police said.
Six people were killed in the capital, including a man and two of his sons whose home in the New Baghdad area was raided by about 25 gunmen dressed in police uniforms and black masks, said police Col. Ahmed Abod. A second son was kidnapped. Abod said the father, Muhsin Akmosh Al-Timimi, had been working with foreign companies operating in Iraq.
Two policemen patrolling northeast Baghdad were killed in a separate drive-by shooting, police Col. Ahmed al-Alawi said.
April 2004 — Compounding impending disaster Iraq’s ‘Viceroy’ Paul Bremer, isolated in his Palace, closed the newspaper of Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, mistakenly dismissing him as a firebrand with little following. It is unlikely that if he had little following, the vast teeming Shia are of Baghdad’s Saddam City would have unanimously been renamed Sadr City, to honour his family of whose esteem, he is to many now the mantle holder. The paper – Al Hawza – had just ten thousand print run in twenty five million population, hardly likely to cause great problems. But its censorship did. Saddam methods: Bremer has long been a new Saddam to Iraqis.
Now Najav and Kerbala are surrounded by US troops avowed to capture Sadr: ‘dead or alive’ – back in Wild West mode in the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’. Either options, or violation of these revered, sacred cities and shrines will make Viet Nam a tea party. Further, hordes of Saudis and Iranians and others, for whom the cities are equally sacrosanct will flood in to fight the invaders, over Iraq’s now unsecured borders. Blood bath comes to mind.
U.S.Forces tore down posters in publicof Muqtada Al Sadr and made arrests of
citizens displaying his poster in their home.
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The firebrand cleric’s violent challenge can’t be tolerated by the U.S. But a fight to the finish could imperil Washington’s exit strategy.
Apr. 05, 2004 — As if Fallujah wasn’t bad enough, the U.S. military in Iraq suddenly finds itself fighting on a second, far more dangerous front. Even as hundreds of Marines prepared to enter the restive Sunni triangle town where four U.S. security men were killed last week, a Shiite uprising over the weekend saw Coalition troops under fire in Baghdad, Najaf, Kufa, Nasiriyah, Amara and Basra.
Eight Americans and one allied soldier were killed in the fighting and 36 were wounded; the death toll among Iraqis was almost 50, with hundreds wounded. Fighting raged on in Baghdad as U.S. troops clashed with militiamen loyal to the firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The new uprising would not be tolerated and would be suppressed, warned U.S. viceroy J. Paul Bremer on Monday. Hours later, the Coalition announced an arrest warrant had been issued for Sadr. But the cleric had already told his supporters that the time for peaceful protest had passed, urging them to “terrorize” the Americans and their allies.
An Iraqi man is interrogated after posters of Muqtada al-Sadr were found in his car at a traffic checkpoint on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq. Friday April 16, 2004▼ ▼ ▼