Iraqis loot base after British leave

[sabra]

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/15360092.htm

Iraqis loot base after British leave

AMARAH, Iraq - Looters ravaged a former British base Friday, a day after the camp was turned over to Iraqi troops, taking everything from doors and window frames to corrugated roofing and metal pipes, authorities said.

About 1,200 British troops had been stationed at Camp Abu Naji in Amarah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and the base had come under almost daily attack. The troops pulled out Thursday to redeploy along the border with Iran to crack down on weapons smuggling.

Shortly after the troops pulled out, Iraqi police managed to disperse looters by firing warning shots into the air, said Dhaffar Jabbar, spokesman for the Maysan provincial governor's office. But the looters returned Friday.

"The British forces left Abu Naji and the locals started looting everything," 1st Lt. Rifaat Taha Yaseen of the Iraqi army's 10th Division told AP Television News. "They took everything from the buildings."

[HereSince1628]

1. SEEEEEEEE???????? Pull outs lead to Khaos!

I can hear the neocons already :eyes:

[bahrbearian]

2. Things are looking up in Baghdad.

[meegbear]

3. Yep, we've turned another corner ...

can't wait for the next one.

[leftchick]

7. there IS light at the end of the tunnel!

I can SEE IT! :eyes:

[WhiteTara]

16. sorry, those are the lights of the oncoming train

fooled again

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. They had better use for the materials then leaving them there

That's how it is when you've had your country destroyed by occupiers and the rebuilding is in the hands of crooks. The average person is in need of everything right down to corrugated roofing and metal pipe.

[donsu]

12. agree

nt

[aaronbees]

24. Exactly...

Honestly, I can't blame them. Payback time of sorts.

[life_long_dem]

5. So, does this mean that the Iraqi's are finally standing up?

Was the camp REALLY turned over or were the British run out?

Stay the course. :puke:

[Dems Will Win]

10. The camp was turned over with great ceremony

The looting started immediately after.

True story!

Then the Iraqis held a giant flea market along the roads SELLING EVERYTHING.

It's the Bush Plan For Iraq.

[annabanana]

13. According to AAR this morning..

After the Brits left, the Iraqi Army (they "stood up"), mutinied, joined the Mahdi Army and helped the looters.

The Brits had apparently been subjected to non-stop shelling in their compound, were pretty much surrounded, and decided that it was time to go.

[snappyturtle]

6. All looting aside........

I think the real story is where the British troops were re-deployed. One word: Iran.

[catmandu57]

11. I noticed that also

Redeployed to the border, I hope that's not a sign of things to come.

[yellowcanine]

8. Goddamn untidy freedom.

[IndianaGreen]

9. Iraqis will loot the Green Zone

as the helicopters are taking our people out.

[annabanana]

14. It'll be rich pickins' too, from what I read. . n/t

[loveandlight]

15. to be expected...

We have looted and trashed their country for years now. The minute they get the chance to rip apart the fortified zones that we've been spending our money on, money that should have gone to rehabilitating their country which we have destroyed, that is exactly what is going to happen. No surprise.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. And we'll never learn from our mistakes

There will be more lost wars and more helicopters taking our people out in our future.

[plcdude]

17. Daily Attacks

this is also the report I get from son-in-law in Baghdad. This is what is really going on. We are pinned down.

[IndianaGreen]

19. The war is lost yet the Pentagon keeps the troops in Iraq

and is recalling IRR reservists. For what?

I hope your son-in-law remains safe and comes home ASAP, but I fear that for as long as Bush is in the White House, he will remain there.

:grouphug:

[tanyev]

20. No, no, no. That was just one person carrying one lamp

and the media showed it over and over again. Durn media.

[rodeodance]

21. the iraqi foreces have so little and now they have a shell for a base.

[54anickel]

31. Gotta buy their own bullets if they use to many.....

http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iraq/10062773.html

snip>

Operation Together Forward is designed to show Iraqis that their local forces are taking charge. But police commandos stationed between two rebel strongholds seemed in little mood to fight insurgents who have killed thousands of their comrades.

"We have good training from the Americans. But we are often attacked. The terrorists fire mortars or shoot at us," said Ali Abdul Gani, pointing to rows of houses opposite his sandbagged checkpoint and which provide cover for the fighters.

"This morning they fired on us during a patrol and I shot back. Now I have to pay for some bullets because I fired too many. It's an Interior Ministry rule. I just want to go back to my hometown," he complained.

[sofa king]

22. Oooh, a border deployment.

Yet another piece in the puzzle. So far we have:

* The Israelis destroying Lebanese infrastructure, which does nothing against Hezbollah but which does hinder any potential troop movements through Lebanon... from Syria.

* The Iran Oil Bourse, which went into effect in March, 2006.

* The presumed completion of twelve to fourteen "enduring bases" in Iraq, which will allow a skeleton force to hide out if American troops are, for some reason, elsewhere.

* US Marines being recalled to duty.

And now we have the Brits leaving behind a base to be totally looted, so they can go "protect" the Iraqi border. It's almost as if they don't care. It's almost as if they don't care because they expect it to happen all over the country, soon--when most of the troops in Iraq are on the Iranian border or passing through it.

It seems like all the machinery is turning toward an invasion of Iran, but where is the justification for doing it? What sort of cataclysmic event would have to happen which could justify an invasion? And wouldn't such a justification be needed really really soon?

[opihimoimoi]

23. This is the Progress Bush/Tony promised????

Hardly....

[Dems Will Win]

25. British Leave Iraqi Base; Militia Supporters Jubilant

This is really a defeat of the British in Amara. The Sadr Brigade decided to attack and kick them out, and then part of the Iraqi Army MUTINIED and joined them. All the police forces and army units are rife with militia members form the Shia sects.

This is what will soon happen in the rest of southern Iraq and Baghdad as the Sadr Brigades attack, the army mutinies, and then the larger Badr Brigades will also have to kick out Coalition troops to maintain face.

Then we are truly fucked.

British Leave Iraqi Base; Militia Supporters Jubilant
Some Troops Will Reposition to Border With Iran

By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 25, 2006; Page A14

BAGHDAD, Aug. 24 -- British troops abandoned a major base in southern Iraq on Thursday and prepared to wage guerrilla warfare along the Iranian border to combat weapons smuggling, a move that anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called the first expulsion of U.S.-led coalition forces from an Iraqi urban center.

"This is the first Iraqi city that has kicked out the occupier!" trumpeted a message from Sadr's office that played on car-mounted speakers in Amarah, capital of the southern province of Maysan. "We have to celebrate this occasion!"


Maj. Charlie Burbridge, a British military spokesman, said the last of 1,200 troops left Camp Abu Naji, just outside Amarah, at noon Thursday, after several days of heavy mortar and rocket fire by a local militia, which local residents identified as the Sadr-controlled Mahdi Army. Adopting tactics used by a British special forces unit in North Africa during World War II, 600 of the soldiers plan to slip soon into the marshlands and deserts of eastern Maysan in an attempt to secure the Iranian border.

The repositioning is the first public acknowledgment that forces from the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq have entered into guerrilla warfare to combat the insurgents and militias they have been fighting for more than three years.

...

The withdrawal sparked wide-scale looting at the base and then intense clashes late Thursday between Iraqi army forces guarding the camp and unknown attackers, a military intelligence official said. The volatile situation worsened when the 2nd Battalion of the Iraqi army's 4th Brigade mutinied and attacked a local military outpost, said the official, who spoke on condition that his name not be used.

Burbridge acknowledged that constant shelling of the base in Amarah by militia forces, including 17 mortar rounds fired in recent days that wounded three people, were part of the reason the camp closed.

"By no longer presenting a static target, we reduce the ability of the militias to strike us," he said. But he rejected Sadr's claim that the British had been defeated and pushed out of Amarah. "It's very difficult to claim a victory without causing significant casualties."

The mood was quite different in Amarah, where jubilant residents flocked to Sadr's office to offer their congratulations. Drivers in the street honked their car horns in celebration. Some prepared to take to the streets to rejoice.

"Today is a holiday in our province," said Abu Mustaffa, an unemployed 45-year-old from the city's al-Hussein district. "Thanks be to God!"

Abu Mustaffa said anger toward the British reached fever pitch in recent days after soldiers entered a mosque and arrested several local men. The provincial government is controlled by Sadr's movement, he said.

Elsewhere in Iraq, bombings and shootings killed at least 14 Iraqis and two U.S. soldiers Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401917.html

[knowbody0]

26. And so it goes.

Let this be the beginning of the end.

amen

[IndianaGreen]

27. So the UK is going to put their troops on the border with Iran

so they are sandwiched between the Shias in Iran and the Shias in Iraq. Who is the military genius that thought this shit up?

[TomInTib]

28. Did you see the chickenshit Brit's response when asked for comment?

"Burbridge said Thursday that British authorities could not comment on early reports of looting "because by that stage the camp was the property of the Maysan authorities and Iraqi Forces were in attendance."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060825/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_base_looted

[Kagemusha]

29. Joined them against the Iraqi army you mean.

Says the provincial government is controlled by Sadr's movement. Well, they're talking of partitioning. Guess that means provinces might be having parts of the army more loyal to the provinces than to the central government... sort of like a glorified militia.

Fun.

[ConcernedCanuk]

30. Iraqis remember previous occupations - the British in the 20's methinks -

.
.
.

"Occupation" is something the Iraqis will not tolerate.

It appears as if some ethnic groups may be taking advantage of Saddam's ousting by the US

BUT

Make no mistake . . .

If they thought for a moment that the US was a danger to them,

They would unite to drive the mongrels out,

THEN

They would continue their internal battles.

But despite the presence of the "superpower" - they ain't too worried.

They've already seen how impotent(despite their cruelty and inhumanity) the USA military is on the ground.

USA has lost

might as well go home boys and girls and have a real life . . .

[bvar22]

32. This is a perfect blueprint for the US Withdrawal from Iraq!

1) Hold a big phony Ceremony with lots of uniforms (maybe even a band).

2) Turn everything over to the Iraqis.

3) Get the FUCK OUT (quickly)!

Simple.

[Igel]

37. Yes, it is.

Turn everything over to the government, and then have a militia claim victory. It gets a boost, it gets the loyalty of the people, and the government gets weakened. Thus making an additional "sub-civil-war" more likely.

Notice how British forces suffered no defeat, and everything was just peachy after they left as the Iraqis peacefully settled their differences and the militia in the area, deprived of a target, disarmed itself.

Precisely on the Hezbollah model.

No wonder people have to think Hezbollah's not so bad; it's what they're pushing for in Iraq. True progress.

Then again, wasn't it Sadr's daddy that set up Amal?

[d_b]

33. They should put their loot on Ebay.

[Phrogman]

34. In the back alleys of Saigon theres the "surplus military" vendors.....

where Mama san has US combat and support equipment stacked to the rafters. There you can buy old helmets and flack jackets with the short timers countdown markings drawn on them. You can buy web gear, canteens, ammo pouches, gas masks, flashlights, etc, ect....

You can find unit plaques, framed command pictures, fixtures and decorations.

Was was once the tools of the trade is now worthless, moldy, forgotten junk.

Someday there will be a very similar bazaar in Baghdad.
Its a shame so many people will have to die between now and that day.

[0007]

35. Yikes!

[pinniped]

36. They got this shit backwards. The coalition are the looters.

.

[Taverner]

38. FOX NEWS: "New Iraqi army gets boost from UK"

We must have just turned a corner - Freedom is on the march

[otohara]

39. Like The US Looted The Palaces

occupied them and set up shop.

[Gloria]

40. WaPo story shows how delusional Maj. Burbidge is....more details

Looters Ransack Base After British Depart
Failure of Iraqi Soldiers to Prevent Assault Raises Worries About Security Transfers

By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 26, 2006; Page A18

BAGHDAD, Aug. 25 -- Armed looters ransacked an abandoned British base in southern Iraq on Friday as Iraqi soldiers guarding the camp stood by and watched, heightening concerns that Iraqi troops are still ill-equipped to take control of security from U.S.-led coalition forces.

A crowd of as many as 5,000 people, including hundreds armed with AK-47 assault rifles, attacked Camp Abu Naji and hauled away window and door frames, corrugated roofing and metal pipes, despite the presence of a 450-member Iraqi army brigade meant to guard the base.

"The looters stole everything -- even the bricks," said Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Latief, 20, a student at Maysan University. "They almost leveled the whole base to the ground."

The last of 12,000 British troops left the camp in Amarah, the capital of southern Maysan province, on Thursday after continued mortar attacks by a local Shiite Muslim militia that residents said was controlled by anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Adopting guerrilla tactics used in North Africa during World War II, 600 of the soldiers will soon slip into the marshlands and deserts near the Iranian border to prevent weapons smuggling.

Maj. Charlie Burbridge, a British military spokesman, said the Iraqi army maintained full control of the camp, even during the looting, and had managed to eject the thieves by early evening. "Our confidence in the Iraqi security forces to maintain day-to-day order in Amarah remains unaffected," he said.

But the inability of the Iraqi soldiers to prevent widespread looting in one of the country's calmest provinces, as well as the reported mutiny of a local army brigade, left doubts about whether U.S.-led forces will be able to hand over security to the Iraqi government anytime soon.

MORE

[NYC]

41. They can't both be right.

"The looters stole everything -- even the bricks," said Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Latief, 20, a student at Maysan University. "They almost leveled the whole base to the ground."

...and...

Maj. Charlie Burbridge, a British military spokesman, said the Iraqi army maintained full control of the camp, even during the looting, and had managed to eject the thieves by early evening.