Troops relish Basra statue raid

Troops relish Basra statue raid

By Gethin Chamberlain
With the Black Watch battle group at Basra

It's 0600 and Basra is burning, black clouds of oily smoke drifting over the city to the east, the sound of gunfire rolling across the canal.

The television mast that dominated the skyline is gone and many of the militia men, who have tormented the UK troops laying siege to the city and fired on their own people as they tried to flee, lie dead.

Tanks and Warriors made the push into the city

For the last 15 minutes the city has been rocked by huge explosions as the Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles of the Black Watch battle group launched a dramatic push into the city.

They fight their way through a barrage of mortar fire and rocket propelled grenades to a position four kilometres inside the city limits, the furthest forward they have ventured so far.

From the base of where the tower stood there are flashes of orange flame as shells explode and tracer rounds fired from the British positions on the opposite bank arc slowly overhead, glowing red as they dip towards their targets.

On the Iraqi side of the Shatt Al Basrah canal, there are two sudden, violent explosions as mortars open up on the armoured vehicles standing guard over the approaches to the bridge.

Even on the far side of the canal, the shock waves take the breath away.

But the mortar positions are quickly silenced.

Revenge raid

Just an hour after Iraqi fighters took the British troops by surprise on what had been thought to be a secure base camp, the Black Watch was exacting its revenge.

That this morning's thrust into Basra had been planned for hours did not matter: they had survived a very close shave.

It just sort of crumpled, there was a big flash and sparks everywhere and it disappeared, it was gone. I wish it was the real thing

UK forces 'destroy Saddam statues'

Their commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Mike Riddell-Webster is in the turret of his Warrior in the thick of the action.

They race into the town across the bridge, Challenger tanks leading the way, Warriors fanning out behind them covering their rear.

From every direction comes the sound of gunfire, but exposed to the heavy guns of the British vehicles, and struggling to make an impact on their armour, the defenders are fighting a losing battle.

Adrenaline rush

Everywhere Lee Webb, in the turret of his Warrior, looks there are Iraqis shooting at him, men on roofs firing rocket propelled grenades, Iraqi gunmen leaning out of windows to open up with their AK47s.

Statues and images of Saddam Hussein have been targets

Up ahead, the Challengers are pinpointing their targets, 120mm guns swinging round and taking aim.

A massive statue of Saddam Hussein is blown up, shattering as the high explosive rounds detonate on impact.

For the 21-year-old Lee, from Rosyth, it is his first real taste of action.

"On the outskirts we saw five or six camouflage nets covering their positions about 100 metres away and we hit them too," he said.

"We stayed there for maybe five or 10 minutes. We blew up some fuel tanks next to one of the bunkers and that took out the bunker as well, then we took out a big Saddam face painted on a wall."

Street fighters

Nearby is Sergeant Dougie Dunbar, 40, from Aberdeen, whose Warrior is covering the advancing tanks as they head towards the TV tower.

"The road was about five kilometres long and there were bunkers and trenches all along, so it was obviously a well prepared position," he said.

"It's my first stint over the bridge facing the mortar attacks and artillery and that's when you start to realise it's real."

As the first wave heads back over the bridge to the relative safety of the far bank, the statue of Saddam is in ruins.

It is the key target of the whole raid, a target which offers an intriguing insight into the way the British are tackling the problems posed by Basra.

During the first Gulf War an Iraqi tank commander returning to the city fired a shot at the statue.

The lack of any reaction to such an act of defiance is credited with triggering the start of the uprising in the south.

The British hope that their action may have a similar effect, showing to the civilian population that the Iraqi regime is losing its grip on the city.

But daring though the raid is, they still have a mountain to climb to avoid the dreaded prospect of street fighting.

This is pooled copy from Gethin Chamberlain, of The Scotsman, on the outskirts of Basra.

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