Informed Comment refers to reports in Arabic of 'a firefight that broke out on Thursday evening in the southern port city of Basra between the Mahdi Army and British troops. The fighting occurred near the al-Qiblah District in the southwestern part of the city...
A Multinational Forces spokesman said that British forces undertook an air operation Thursday evening along the strategic line that connects Basra airport with Kuwait near al-Qiblah District. The fighting did not result in any British casualties, but badly damaged a tank.' 'I was unable to find any reports of all this in Western wire services.'
Must the Leader of New Labour now prepare an announcement that British troops in Iraq will be home for Easter? Because it looks as if the decision on what happens next is out of his hands and the troops are coming home anyway.
After all, they have been marooned outside Basra airport for months now, nothing to do, under-equipped, vulnerable but for whatever deals the military of the British and Iraqi sides have negotiated, and wholly without any kind of direction from New Labour's Executive.
Brown has to answer for all this.
'I did find some pundit claiming that things were "much improved" in Basra.' remarks Informed Comment's Juan Cole; 'a British parliamentary commission found the opposite last fall.'
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
Looks like thet're all going to Kosovo, Hats, according to the Telegraph today.
Given you a mention BTW...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7249575.stm
Well I never ....
socialist people's republic of the north east on course and out in the open now then, Elby.
I hope they're not going in support of the civil power, S. It is described as a wholly criminal mafia organised administration, indeed society by the papers here today. They should know, the European Union representative to Kosovo is an Italian.
Post a Comment