Stretched along Iran’s border of desert and marshes, Maysan province is a
dangerous wilderness that is being used by Iraq’s Shia extremist groups as a
testing ground for their latest explosive devices. It is on British patrols
– which may soon include Prince Harry – that they are sharpening their
deadly skills.
“Maysan is a very useful place for them to develop stuff because it is out in
the open,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Nixon-Eckersall, the commanding
officer of The Queen’s Royal Lancers. The regiment is responsible for
patrolling the province known as Iraq’s “Wild West”, trying to stop Iranian
smugglers bringing weapons across the border.
Last week, he lost two of his men to a massive improvised explosive device
near the city. The soldiers were killed when their Scimitar, a tracked
reconnaissance vehicle, was hit by one of the devices that they are trying
to prevent slipping across the border.
April has been the deadliest month for British troops since the invasion, with
rogue militia jostling for prominence in the south, often playing a
long-term political game to establish their credentials as antioccupation
fighters once the British have wound down their presence in Iraq. They are
also vying for supremacy in a region that contains most of Iraq’s enormous
oil wealth.
Some Western officials in the south feel that the environment is hazardous
enough for British troops without introducing a high-value target such as
Prince Harry, whose presence could provoke an increase in attacks. The
military also worries that his presence may lure paparazzi, travelling with
private security teams, into one of the most dangerous areas of southern
Iraq in the hope of getting a lucrative shot of the Prince on patrol. The
Army would then have to risk its own troops rescuing any who landed in
trouble.
If he joins his Blues and Royals regiment on the border, Prince Harry will
find himself on patrols deep into the desert and marshlands of Maysan,
living in a harsh environment of heat, dust and deadly explosives lurking
beneath the desert tracks. The battlegroup disappears into the desert for
days or weeks at a time, often travelling off-road in Scimitars and
open-back Land Rovers mounted with 50-calibre machineguns. The soldiers live
on rations of precooked, vacuum-sealed meals and dry biscuits, and are
sometimes so far from any base that they have to be resupplied by air drops.
British forces started to patrol the border last year, after abandoning their
base of Abu Naji in the provincial capital, al-Amarah, which came under
incessant rocket and mortar fire. Shia militiamen, especially those from the
rabidly antiBritish al-Mahdi Army, claimed to have bombed the British out,
using what the British insist was merely a tactical redeployment as a
powerful propaganda tool.
“Some people would say it’s a benign environment, when you compare it with
Basra,” said Colonel Nixon-Eckersall. “I would use that word with caution,
in that there are people who would seek to do us harm.”
As the Army hands over more of its small bases inside Basra to Iraqi security
forces, the attacks on the city’s airport – one of the few remaining targets
– have become far more concentrated. It is not uncommon to see an entire
restaurant filled with uniformed soldiers eating their fish and chips off
plates on the floor as they await the all-clear signal.
After dark, no soldier is allowed out without wearing body armour. Those
wanting to shower at night wear their helmet and flak jackets.
Killed in April
Corporal Ben Leaning 24, of The Queen’s Royal Lancers Battle Group
Trooper Kristen Turton 28, of The Queen’s Royal Lancers Battle Group,
lived in Grimsby
Kingsman Alan Jones 20, of the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s
Regiment, was an Everton fan
Colour Sergeant Mark Powell 37, of the Parachute Regiment, was born in
South Wales
Sergeant Mark McLaren 25, joined the Royal Air Force in January; “a
caring husband and father”
Second Lieutenant Joanna Dyer 23, with Intelligence Corps. Friend of
Prince William
Corporal Kris O'Neill 27, was deployed to Iraq with the Royal Army
Medical Corps in January
Private Eleanor Dlugosz 19, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, travelled
with patrols into Basra
Kingsman Adam Smith,19, of the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s
Regiment. Born in the Isle of Man
Rifleman Aaron Lincoln,18, of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles. His
grandfather had served in the Army
Kingsman Danny Wilson,28, of the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s
Regiment; “a proud Cumbrian”
Incidents in the region
— Majar al-Kabir, June 2003 Six Royal Military Police surrounded in a house.
Hold out for two hours before being overwhelmed
— Al-Amarah, summer 2004 Shia cleric Moqtadr al-Sadr stages major
uprising. UK forces involved in some of the fiercest battles of the conflict
so far
— Al-Amarah, 16 July 2005 Three British soldiers killed when Land Rovers
are attacked
— Maysan, 19 April 2007 Scimitar hit by explosive device, two crew
killed
Source: MOD, Times Archive
don"t you all think its about time they brought the rest of the british troops back home to there family"s before we have none left
wilson, durham, england