Thread: Gun battle after British helicopter is shot down.

Iraqi thugs attacked British soldiers just moments after a British helicopter was shot down. A gun battle ensued.

Des Browne, who only became Britain's Defence Secretary yesterday, said: 'This tragic incident reminds us of the risks our servicemen and women face every day in helping to support the emerging democracy in Iraq and give all Iraqis hope for a better future.'



British soldiers die as helicopter is shot down. Then Basra erupts in bloody gun battles

Jason Burke and Ned Temko
Sunday May 7, 2006
The Observer



An Iraqi attacks British soldiers.


Defence Secretary Des Browne.

Bloddy battles were fought on the streets of Basra last night after a British helicopter crashed in the city, reportedly killing four airmen and drawing an Iraqi crowd shouting 'Victory to the Mahdi army'.

At least three British army vehicles were set on fire as the crowd hurled petrol bombs at troops trying to reach the blazing wreckage. Iraqi police officials believed the aircraft had been brought down by a shoulder-fired missile. Four charred bodies were seen inside it, reports said.

In the ensuing fighting, unconfirmed reports suggested that four Iraqis - some of them bystanders and thought to include a child - had also been killed. Soldiers fired three live rounds as they moved to seal off the area. A curfew was imposed from 8pm local time in a bid to restore calm.

Des Browne, made Defence Secretary only hours earlier in the cabinet reshuffle, expressed his sympathies to the families of those affected saying: 'This tragic incident reminds us of the risks our servicemen and women face every day in helping to support the emerging democracy in Iraq and give all Iraqis hope for a better future.'

While it was clear that there were no survivors, the Ministry of Defence was trying to establish how many people had been on board the helicopter. If it has been shot down, it would be the most serious attack on British troops in the southern Iraqi city for over a year, bringing the number of UK soldiers killed by attacks in Iraq to 108.

The scenes of several hundred Iraqis yelling their opposition to the coalition's military presence, carried on Arabic TV throughout the day, could also call into question Blair's hopes of Iraq stabilising sufficiently to begin reducing the British presence.

Iraqi police captain Mushtaq Khazim said the helicopter had been shot down in a residential district and that several witnesses had described seeing an explosion on board before it crashed.

Major Sebastian Muntz, British army spokesman in Basra, said the situation had been 'quite tense' but hoped it had been an isolated incident.

However a missile strike could herald a new threat to British forces in Basra, which have faced less serious attacks than US forces stationed further north. Most British casualties have been the result of increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs, though 'hostile fire' brought down a transport plane last year, killing 10 people. British forces have relied more heavily on helicopters to avoid the roadside attacks.'A successful militant missile strike would be a very serious problem for us,' said a recently retired British senior army officer.

Within minutes of the crash, British forces, backed by armoured vehicles, rushed to the area. They were met by a hail of stones from a crowd of several hundred shaking fists and dancing as the smoke rose.

Iraqi president Jalal Talabani last night sent condolences to the British families. 'I can assure you that Iraqis continue to honour and appreciate the efforts and sacrifice made by Her Majesty's forces,' he said.

Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox and Lib Dem spokesman Nick Harvey both issued statements expressing sympathy for the families of the victims but said the crash raised broader questions. Harvey said the 'appalling incident' reinforced the need for a British 'exit strategy' from Iraq.

guardian.co.uk
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How Basra riots turned bloody

Jason Burke explains how the southern Iraqi city turned into a cauldron of violence after a British helicopter crashed

Sunday May 7, 2006
The Observer


If you want to take on a major army in an urban street fight, there are worse places than Basra. The southern port city is a perfect mix of wide open streets - allowing armoured columns or heavily armed troops to penetrate rapidly, which then allows them to be hounded.

The British army had been trying to avoid this particular trap for a long time. Yesterday they found themselves deliberately walking into it, having effectively having set their own bait in the form of the British military helicopter that crashed in a residential area, reportedly killing four British servicemen at around 11am yesterday. If confirmed, the deaths will mark one of the most serious single losses for British forces in Iraq for over a year and come at a critical time for Tony Blair and British forces in Iraq. Equally, if a suspected missile strike is confirmed, it will mark a major step forward in the local insurgents' capabilities, and a serious blow to the UK deployment.

But initially the problem was elsewhere. For the troops of the Battle Group Basra, Highlanders and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards under the command of the Seventh armoured division, the priority was to reach and secure the site of the crash without being dragged into a Black hawk Down scenario.

'We can confirm that there has been a helicopter crash in Basra,' said Major Sebastian Muntz, a British military spokesman in the city. 'British troops are on the scene assisting and emergency services are present.' It was fire crews fighting the flames around the helicopters who told local reporters that there were four charred bodies.

As the British troops moved into the site they were met by a hail of stones from a crowd of several hundred angry people. Molotov cocktails impacted on the armour of the Warrior fighting vehicles sending gouts of orange fire into the air. Soldiers emerged periodically to douse the flames.

As word of the incident spread, the crowds grew. They also changed in character. Where they had earlier been spontaneous, they soon took on a more organised nature. A clue as to why lay in the chants the rioters hurled at the troops: 'Victory to the Mehdi Army', they shouted, a reference to the armed militia of the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr. His men - and the Medhi army - have repeatedly been responsible for violent unrest in Basra and elsewhere in southern and central Iraq, though the extent of their involvement in bombings and missile strikes is unclear.

Last September, British forces arrested two officials of Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to al-Sadr, raising tensions. About a week later, militiamen and residents clashed with British troops after two British soldiers in local clothes were detained by Iraqi authorities before being freed in a raid by British forces.

The most senior Shia cleric in the region, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has proved a strong moderating influence but is engaged in a power struggle with al-Sadr and has not always been able to keep growing anti-coalition fervour among the local population under control.

Much of al-Sadr's strategy depends on drawing British troops out of their heavily defended bases and into the streets. Yesterday they came to him. Soon it was small arms as well as rocks that were being used and, though reports are unclear, with British officials denying using anything other than plastic baton rounds, it appears that rapid gunfights, as over as soon as they had begun, swept the rubbish-choked alleyways.

Morgue staff in Basra have confirmed that four dead locals admitted during the confused hours of yesterday afternoon and Iraqi security forces, known to be trigger happy, were also involved in attempts to contain the violence.

If the attack, which may have taken the toll of British soldiers in Iraq to 108, is indeed a missile strike the consequences could be serious. Most British casualties caused by hostile action in Basra have been the result of remotely detonated roadside bombs, though 'hostile fire' that hit a fuel tank brought down a transport plane, killing 10 last year.

'We rely very heavily on helicopters in the south of Iraq to minimise travel by road and successful militant missile strike would be a very serious problem for us,' said one recently retired British senior army officer. 'It could push up casualties significantly.'

Britain has about 8,000 troops based in the mostly Shia Basra area, though southern Iraq has long been less violent than Baghdad and western Iraq tensions are still high. Senior British officials have privately blamed much of the anti-coalition agitation on Iranian government agents infiltrated from the neighbouring state.

The most recent incident comes at the beginning of the hot season when temperatures soar and the failure of the coalition to successfully provide electricity and water to millions of people in southern Iraq is resented more profoundly than ever.

As night fell yesterday, the situation had calmed and a curfew was in place. Nevertheless one analyst was prompted to comment: 'We can expect a hot summer, from every point of view.'

guardian.co.uk