Fears grow Black Watch convoy will face ambush by militants

[floda]

IAN JOHNSTON, JAMES KIRKUP AND SIR GERALD KAUFMAN


UNITED States marines and Iraqi security forces have arrested nearly 130 suspected terrorists in the past two days in the militant stronghold south of Baghdad that is expected to become the new base for the Black Watch regiment.

As the political row over moving the soldiers outside the British-controlled area in the south of Iraq continued, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit said a sweep through Iskandariya, a city about 30 miles south of Baghdad, had resulted in the arrest of 87 people with the rest being detained in the surrounding Babil province.

Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, is expected to confirm either today or tomorrow that a 1,000-strong battle group - with about 600 Black Watch troops at its core - will travel nearly 400 miles north to Iskandariya after defence chiefs have considered a report by a reconnaissance party which visited the area yesterday.

Defence experts said that the fact that the Black Watch convoy had been "massively advertised" meant there was a threat it would be ambushed by militants.


more...

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1217392004

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Bet you a dollar they rounded up all males between 16 and 50

- just a hunch.




"So I don't worry about, and people shouldn't
worry about a draft. . . I think we're in good
shape, I really do. And, if not, we'll -- I'll address
the nation. But I don't see any need to right now."
- G. W. Bush (Source: The Whitehouse)

http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[MSgt213]

2. Hey Brits stop playing Bush's political games with your soldiers lives