[Marxism] Brit troops leave Basra: "God has blessed us with victory over the occupation"

[Fred Feldman]

GI Special:
 thomasfbarton at earthlink.net
 9.1.07
 GI SPECIAL 5I1: BASRA FALLS

"On The Streets, There Is A Sense Of Jubilation And Victory Over British
Forces"

17,000 Strong Mahdi Army Assures British Soldiers "Safe Departure"

"God Has Blessed Us With Victory Over The Occupation"

Resistance Prisoners Set Free 

The Mahdi Army, which according to one estimate, numbers about 17,000 in
Basra and is divided into about 40 sariyas (company-size military unit), is
the strongest among its rivals in the militia-infiltrated police force and
it has influence over vital sectors such as health, education, power
distribution, and ports. 

August 28, 2007 By Sam Dagher, Correspondent of The Christian Science
Monitor [Excerpts]

The last contingent of British soldiers based in the center of this southern
city will leave by Friday, says a senior Iraqi security official, adding
that a deal has been struck with leaders of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army to
ensure their safe departure. 

As they pull back to a base outside Basra, the British will leave a vital
provincial capital in the throes of a turf battle between Shiite factions -
one that Mr. Sadr's militia appears to be winning. 

"By the end of August, there will be no presence for British forces at the
palace or at the joint coordination center.  Both will be in the hands of
the Iraqi government," says the official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter. 

"I think it's best if they leave, because they did nothing to stop the
militias, which were formed in the womb of their occupation."  A spokesman
for the British military in Basra confirmed that a small force left the
Provincial Joint Coordination Center (PJCC), site of a British-Iraqi
security task force, Saturday. 

He declined comment on the timing of the pullout of 500 soldiers from a
compound of four Saddam Hussein-era palaces that are located on the
strategic Shatt al-Arab River. The buildings have been occupied by coalition
troops since the start of the war in 2003. 

Ahead of the pullout, an agreement between British and Iraqi authorities
resulted in the transfer of more than two dozen Mahdi Army prisoners from
British to Iraqi custody, according to the security official. 

They were then released by an Iraqi court in an attempt to pacify the
militias during the highly symbolic handover of the palaces to Iraqis, he
said.  The British did not comment on any arrangements. 

The departing force will join 5,000 soldiers at the Shaibah air base, about
10 miles southwest of the city, also home to the US and British consulates.
Unlike their US counterparts elsewhere in Iraq, British forces have been
gradually trimming their presence in the south since May 2003, when they
numbered 18,000. 

The Iraqi official says the palaces will be handed over to an Iraqi force
dispatched from Baghdad and will not be given to the controversial
provincial authority, which is embroiled in a power struggle between rival
Shiite political parties. This 3,000-strong Iraqi force will consist of two
Army battalions and elements from the Ministry of Interior's commando unit. 

The Mahdi Army, which according to one estimate, numbers about 17,000 in
Basra and is divided into about 40 sariyas (company-size military unit), is
the strongest among its rivals in the militia-infiltrated police force and
it has influence over vital sectors such as health, education, power
distribution, and ports. 

Although Basra, an economically important port city in a province with some
of the largest oil deposits in the world, is considerably calmer and less
violent than Baghdad, it faces a low-intensity, yet vicious, battle between
the Mahdi Army and its many competitors that has spread fear and
apprehension among many of the city's estimated 1.8 million residents.  One
local official says about 5,000 assassinations have occurred inside the city
in the past two years.

It was at a Friday night meeting when two Mahdi Army commanders and a lawyer
tied to Sadr came to an Iraqi government official's home to ask about one of
their senior leaders.  They wanted to know if Sajad was among 26 detainees
released by British forces. 

Their cases were recently transferred to the Iraqi judicial system. Half had
already been freed because the court deemed the evidence submitted by the
British side insufficient to prosecute them.  The rest have been released on
bail, according to the lawyer, Yahya al-Taie.

One commander, who asked not to be named, carefully looked over a list of
detainees until he found Sajad's name.

He commands fighters in the city's Garmat Ali section. His arrest last year
was hailed as a coup by British forces during their offensive against
militias in the city as part of Operation Sinbad that lasted from September
2006 to March 2007.  Now, as the British prepare for departure, Sajad was
freed. 

"The arrests did not stop the rockets, nor did the rockets defeat the
British," said the security source. "We needed to find an alternative
solution that would calm things down a bit." 

The palaces that the British will vacate have been the target of constant
rocket and mortar attacks, which have declined over the past 10 days. 

The British military in Basra denied interview requests.  In an e-mail,
spokesman Maj. Mike Shearer did not comment on whether the military was
aware of, or involved in, a prisoner release in exchange for a suspension of
attacks. 

He said that British forces have held more than 2,250 Iraqi suspects since
Jan. 1, 2004, including the 26 transferred to the Iraqi court system. They
have released all but 80 prisoners. 

The Iraqi official said releasing Mahdi Army fighters - combined with the
absence of an excuse for militias to launch attacks on the palace - would
give Lt. Gen. Mohan Hafidh, head of the Basra Operations Center appointed by
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, enough breathing room to stabilize the
province. 

But the PJCC left by the British Saturday was the scene of a four-hour
looting spree Sunday, according to security officials. 

"We will lessen the attacks against them (the British) and we will stop
altogether if they release all our prisoners," said one of the Mahdi Army
leaders at the Friday meeting. A colleague, who appeared more senior,
disagreed:  "The resistance will continue until the last soldier leaves
Basra." 

Indeed, overall attacks against British forces have increased despite the
gradual decline in troop numbers.  This year, 41 soldiers have died,
compared with 29 in all of 2006. 

On the streets, there is a sense of jubilation and victory over British
forces. 

In central Arousa Square, a street was renamed after the "martyr Jaafar
Muhammad," killed in clashes with the British. 

"He's one of my guys.  One of the valiant heroes of the Imam Mahdi Army,"
says a bearded company commander who gave his name as Uncle Abed. 

"God has blessed us with victory over the occupation."