Basra is a 'safe zone' no more |
| Posted by: Inner City Blues | | Basra is a 'safe zone' no more
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A British helicopter has crashed in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, possibly shot down. BBC News website's Lisa Mitchell, who went to Basra with the British Army last month, explains what the situation is like on the ground.
The British forces use helicopters in Basra like buses.
Because of the distances between bases, and more importantly because of the dangers of bombs at the sides of roads, they fly in and out of the Army's main base at Basra airport constantly.
The tactic has precedents in Northern Ireland, where helicopters were routinely used to avoid the threat from IRA bombs and snipers in "bandit country". |
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Patrols in armoured Land Rovers were welcomed with waves from children and soldiers walked through market places fully armed, but wearing their soft berets.
Now they cannot go to the toilet on their bases without carrying their helmet and flak jacket.
Once seen as the "safe zone" in Iraq, violence has escalated to such a point that a US Embassy report said Basra city is as dangerous now as any of the troubled northern cities. |
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| Posted by: DKLillee | | Could be time - and I know it's gonna be a ****-fight - but I'm thinkin it's time for all of we in the Coalition of the Willing to just leave 'em all too it and get the **** out.
Give them the basic rules of democracy, train up a few of their soldiers and cops, and say: here ya go, get into it: Iraq.
It is their own country, after all. And as they say: it might be a cluster**** but at least it's OUR cluster****. | | Reply To this Message
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| Posted by: hazel_dragoneye | | It could be that the Basran people are tired of the coalition forces searching and seizing their houses illegally. My cousin, who was stationed in Iraq, told me that the American soldiers are the rudest people stationed over there. They treated the Iraqis like dogs, not even human. He recalls a midnight search where the soldiers shoved a crippled woman to the wall because she was standing in the way.
I mean look at it this way, how long would you stand around and watch foreign forces push you around in your own country? | | Reply To this Message
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| Posted by: Optics | |
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hazel_dragoneye said this in post #3 :
It could be that the Basran people are tired of the coalition forces searching and seizing their houses illegally. My cousin, who was stationed in Iraq, told me that the American soldiers are the rudest people stationed over there. They treated the Iraqis like dogs, not even human. He recalls a midnight search where the soldiers shoved a crippled woman to the wall because she was standing in the way.
I mean look at it this way, how long would you stand around and watch foreign forces push you around in your own country? |
If your cousin is not reporting these soldiers he is just as bad as the ones who shoved a crippled woman into a wall.
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| Posted by: hazel_dragoneye | |
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Optics said this in post #4 :
If your cousin is not reporting these soldiers he is just as bad as the ones who shoved a crippled woman into a wall. |
He told me that a lot of high officials such as majors and liuetanants are abusing Iraqi citizens as well. He told me that there is so much corruption that he didn't doubt the story that I told him about a couple of Iraqi insurgents stealing weapons.
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Iraq Forum: Basra is a 'safe zone' no more
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