Far From Washington & London, Professional Soldiers At Work

Michael Yon provides us with another exceptional post on his operations with British soldiers in Basara, including a detailed description of a night ambush against Iraqis (or Iranians, or Iranian-trained Iraqis), laying IED's:

The enemy lays bombs in the roads here by various methods. One method is the “pop and drop,” where one or two men can walk or drive up and lay a bomb in seconds and be gone. These are quick to lay, but usually easy to spot, and generally smaller in size. Larger bombs followed by complex attacks (i.e., after the bomb explodes, the enemy attacks with other weapons while our side is trying to rescue their friends), are more challenging to lay. One team will show up and dig the hole. At night, in Iraq, if a man is digging a hole on or near a road, he can be shot without warning. The special operations soldiers call these hole-diggers “pipe swingers.” Pipe swingers are generally just hired labor. It is important to stop pipe swingers, but they are as plentiful and easy for the enemy to replace as the frogs in this marsh.

A second team lays the actual bomb, while a third team lays out the command wire (or other firing system) and attacks us, often with follow-on rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and rifles, and mortars, and also with secondary bombs which are very effective in killing rescuers.

Crowley spoke into his headset, “Jav 1, I need to know when you’ve got a target solution if you get one on those guys who are digging by the Charlie.” Moments passed and radio calls went around, the Crowley said, “Ah roger, it’s not necessary that we identify them as digging it’s just whether we can identify the pax [passengers]. If Kilo four-four has identified them as digging and we’ve got the pax, we’ve got sufficient clearance to fire.” . . .

Read the entire post here. Why do we have to rely on Michael Yon for this type of reporting. In the New York Times, I cannot remember the last embed story of note. No, I take that back. There was an extensive article the other day. It really told the personal story . . . of suicide bombers from Jordan.

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Michael Yon from the Middle of Operation Arezzo in Basra

Michael Yon has some great posts up on his imbed with British Army units (these are the real soldiers - not the British marines and naval units who apparently have lost the plot of what it means to be a soldier). He covers their operations against the Iranian sponsored Shia militants in Basra.

A dramatic surge in IDF attacks (indirect fire: rockets and mortars) began here in September 2006, subsequent an increase in British troops. Locals cite Iranian influence behind the attacks, while British officers say this is the most IDF’d base in Iraq. The dozens of bombs that exploded on the base in the first five days of my embed with a British infantry platoon punctuated those claims.

. . . They opened on us with massive small-arms fire from many directions, and RPGs. One RPG slammed into a British vehicle and exploded in the slot armor, but the vehicle took the hit, and the men inside continued to fight. The enemy pounded at one of the platoons with at least one large machine gun, possibly a 12.7 mm, which can blow a man in half and easily defeat British or American armor. But soldiers in that platoon responded with blistering fire, and silenced the gun.

The ensuing firefights were vigorous. As more enemy joined and the battle progressed, British elements maneuvered and fired, making adjustments to the plan to mold the fight. With no helicopters above to help develop ground awareness or to help shape the combat by engaging targets, British commanders directed their elements by map and ground-feel. Having no helicopters also left rooftops open to the enemy, adding another dimension to the combat.

Read the entire post here. It's a riveting read. I am a little confused with the rise in Iranian sponsored violence in Basra just as the Brits are drawing down their forces in Iraq. It would seem smarter to try and wait out the Brits rather then increase the violence. Perhaps someone with more insight into the Iranian efforts in Basra can explain this one.

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UK TO DECLARE VICTORY in Basara, Iraq, and go home. This will add to the clarion call of the anti-war movement for us to likewise declare . . . . hmmmm, no, just go home. This does not bode well and I am unsure of the impetus -- probably because Labour looks to be trounced by the Tories in the next election with the party split as they are.

Update: No surprises here -- Democrats Seize Upon British Plan to Withdrawal

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