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British troops kill 20 in bayonet clash
Stephen Grey, Basra, and Adam Nathan
BRITISH soldiers fixed bayonets and fought hand-to-hand with a Shi’ite militia in southern Iraq in one of their fiercest clashes since the war officially ended last May.
They mounted what were described as “classic infantry assaults” on firing and mortar positions held by more than 100 fighters loyal to the outlawed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, military sources revealed yesterday.
At least 20 men from al-Sadr’s Mehdi army were said to have been killed in more than three hours of fighting — the highest toll reported in any single incident involving British forces in the past 12 months. Three British soldiers were injured, none seriously, and nine fighters were captured.
“It was very bloody and it was difficult to count all their dead,” said one source. “There were bodies floating in the river.”
Details of the incident emerged as General Sir Michael Walker, chief of the defence staff, told The Sunday Times that British forces would remain in strength at least until Iraq’s elections next year.
A further 3,000 troops may also be sent to boost troop strengths around Najaf in the centre of the country, also the scene of violent clashes.
The fighting began when soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were ambushed in two Land Rovers on Friday afternoon, about 15 miles south of the city of Amara.
They escaped, only to be ambushed a second time by a larger group armed with machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Reinforcements were summoned from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment at a base nearby.
“There was some pretty fierce hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets fixed,” the source said. “There were some classic assaults on mortar positions held by the al-Sadr forces.”
Major Ian Clooney, the official spokesman, confirmed that the Mehdi army “took a pretty heavy knocking” but declined to specify the tactics. “This was certainly an intense engagement,” he said.
Since their arrival in Amara just under a month ago, the Princess of Wales’s regiment had been engaged in a tough struggle with the Mehdi army, which has been launching mortar attacks at night on the British and the coalition civilian headquarters in the city.
Although armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), the militia has found it hard to cope with Britain’s heavily armoured Warriors, one of which is reputed to have been struck by seven different RPGs and still managed to continue safely to base.
Walker said that “sufficient superiority” of British forces would be required to deal with unrest in the run-up to 2005 elections.
“There are some incursions that will occur, particularly up to June 30, and during the period up to elections next year,” he said. “We will need to have sufficient superiority of force to be able to deal with civil unrest and terrorism.
“We are in discussions with the Americans about putting more people out. If one suddenly had a major reconstruction problem we would need more troops to be able to support that without removing people from their role.”
Among the 3,000 troops under consideration to boost forces around Najaf is 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.
Tony Blair will come under pressure from some Labour MPs and the Liberal Democrats to hold a Commons vote before the troops are sent.
Blair is likely to dismiss Labour calls as being from what he will portray as the left of the party. But if the calls gain momentum and key figures such as the former foreign secretary Robin Cook speak out, he may have his hand forced.
Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Before any further British troops are sent, the government should consult with and listen to parliament about the role they are to undertake.”
However, Walker said the plan was gradually to reduce the 12,000 British troop presence in the southeast region of Basra and Amara as soon as local security forces gained control of the area.
“The main task is to continue to ensure that we prepare Iraq for the Iraqi people to be able to take sovereignty on June 30,” he said.
“The intention is to draw back the coalition face of the security activities in the southeast so it becomes increasingly Iraqi. When it gets to a stage where they can do it on their own we will reduce our numbers.”
British troops in southeast Iraq are already significantly outnumbered by local Iraqi police and the 5,100-strong Iraqi civil defence corps.
Walker said that British troops would stay in Iraq as long as they were needed. “It is very difficult to say how long we will have to stay but we are committed to stay until we are no longer needed.”
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WOW!!!!
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British troops kill 20 in bayonet clash
Stephen Grey, Basra, and Adam Nathan
BRITISH soldiers fixed bayonets and fought hand-to-hand with a Shi’ite militia in southern Iraq in one of their fiercest clashes since the war officially ended last May.
They mounted what were described as “classic infantry assaults” on firing and mortar positions held by more than 100 fighters loyal to the outlawed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, military sources revealed yesterday.
At least 20 men from al-Sadr’s Mehdi army were said to have been killed in more than three hours of fighting — the highest toll reported in any single incident involving British forces in the past 12 months. Three British soldiers were injured, none seriously, and nine fighters were captured.
“It was very bloody and it was difficult to count all their dead,” said one source. “There were bodies floating in the river.”
Details of the incident emerged as General Sir Michael Walker, chief of the defence staff, told The Sunday Times that British forces would remain in strength at least until Iraq’s elections next year.
A further 3,000 troops may also be sent to boost troop strengths around Najaf in the centre of the country, also the scene of violent clashes.
The fighting began when soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were ambushed in two Land Rovers on Friday afternoon, about 15 miles south of the city of Amara.
They escaped, only to be ambushed a second time by a larger group armed with machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Reinforcements were summoned from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment at a base nearby.
“There was some pretty fierce hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets fixed,” the source said. “There were some classic assaults on mortar positions held by the al-Sadr forces.”
Major Ian Clooney, the official spokesman, confirmed that the Mehdi army “took a pretty heavy knocking” but declined to specify the tactics. “This was certainly an intense engagement,” he said.
Since their arrival in Amara just under a month ago, the Princess of Wales’s regiment had been engaged in a tough struggle with the Mehdi army, which has been launching mortar attacks at night on the British and the coalition civilian headquarters in the city.
Although armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), the militia has found it hard to cope with Britain’s heavily armoured Warriors, one of which is reputed to have been struck by seven different RPGs and still managed to continue safely to base.
Walker said that “sufficient superiority” of British forces would be required to deal with unrest in the run-up to 2005 elections.
“There are some incursions that will occur, particularly up to June 30, and during the period up to elections next year,” he said. “We will need to have sufficient superiority of force to be able to deal with civil unrest and terrorism.
“We are in discussions with the Americans about putting more people out. If one suddenly had a major reconstruction problem we would need more troops to be able to support that without removing people from their role.”
Among the 3,000 troops under consideration to boost forces around Najaf is 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.
Tony Blair will come under pressure from some Labour MPs and the Liberal Democrats to hold a Commons vote before the troops are sent.
Blair is likely to dismiss Labour calls as being from what he will portray as the left of the party. But if the calls gain momentum and key figures such as the former foreign secretary Robin Cook speak out, he may have his hand forced.
Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Before any further British troops are sent, the government should consult with and listen to parliament about the role they are to undertake.”
However, Walker said the plan was gradually to reduce the 12,000 British troop presence in the southeast region of Basra and Amara as soon as local security forces gained control of the area.
“The main task is to continue to ensure that we prepare Iraq for the Iraqi people to be able to take sovereignty on June 30,” he said.
“The intention is to draw back the coalition face of the security activities in the southeast so it becomes increasingly Iraqi. When it gets to a stage where they can do it on their own we will reduce our numbers.”
British troops in southeast Iraq are already significantly outnumbered by local Iraqi police and the 5,100-strong Iraqi civil defence corps.
Walker said that British troops would stay in Iraq as long as they were needed. “It is very difficult to say how long we will have to stay but we are committed to stay until we are no longer needed.”
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WOW!!!!
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