Dragoons face heavy fire

Dragoons face heavy fire

Basra has proved perilous for troops

The Desert Rats have withdrawn from Basra after coming across fierce and unexpected resistance.

Elements of the 7th Armoured Brigade, including the Challenger 2 tanks of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, pulled away from the southern Iraqi city on Sunday morning, after coming under fierce mortar fire.

They have faced surprise ambush tactics by the extremist Fedayeen militia armed with powerful rocket propelled grenades and general purpose machine guns.

Fears also emerged that a strong Iraqi armoured division could be ready to push from inside Basra to try and retake the main airport.

There are significant elements in Basra who are hugely loyal to the regime

Captain Patrick Trueman

The Desert Rats at one point had Basra surrounded to prevent enemy forces fleeing to regroup elsewhere.

But the decision to withdraw was taken after forward units from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (DG) battle group came under serious mortar fire in the early hours of Monday morning as they guarded the main routes north and south.

The attacks came after a fierce tank battle the night before with Iraqi T55s.

While avoiding civilian casualties remains foremost in their plans, a decision was taken to draw back south towards Kuwait in order to rethink their overall strategic plan.

Officers within the Scots DG - Scotland's Cavalry which depends on the Challenger 2 main battle tank - admitted the brigade as a whole vastly underestimated the likely resistance and the loyalty locals would show to the regime.

Soldiers faced heavy mortar fire

British officers now believe there may be a large number of T55 tanks inside the city, just waiting for members of the elite Republican Guard to be bussed into the area wearing civilian gear to operate them.

Another concern is that a British Land Rover captured by Iraqis near Basra on Sunday could be packed with explosives and easily driven up to a convoy of Desert Rats before exploding as a car bomb.

Captain Patrick Trueman said a lot of thinking had to be done before another attempt was made to clear Basra.

He said: "We're currently taking stock of the situation. We were expecting a lot of hands-up from Iraqi soldiers and for the humanitarian operation in Basra to begin fairly quickly behind us, with aid organisations providing food and water to the locals.

"But it hasn't quite worked out that way. There are significant elements in Basra who are hugely loyal to the regime.

"Their loyalty is rewarded with a better standard of living than most, so they don't want to give it up easily."

'Threat from 360 degrees'

It was expected that the Iraqi Government would not concern itself too much with the fall of Basra because of the perceived hatred of Saddam among the local Shiite population.

Capt Trueman said: "We always had the idea that everyone in this area hated Saddam. Clearly, there are a number who don't.

"These are people who have been fed what the regime wants them to hear.

"There have been cases in the past of members of the military being shot for having a civilian radio found on them.

"But the fact is we have discovered that there is a threat from 360 degrees around us so it's time to rethink."

Pool report from Simon Houston of the Daily Record newspaper in Basra.