Basra. Back in the headlines

by | Feb 15, 2008


The current situation in Basra is extremely worrying. Consider the following:

  • Local authorities in the city advise all civilians to stay at home after sunset. At night the city is almost in complete chaos with the market place a target of regular mortar attacks.
  • Locals now do their own foot patrols in their neighbourhoods while militias and the Soldier of Heaven ‘cult’ roam the streets.
  • Basra airport is under daily attack from mortars.
  • Assassinations are rife. Around 15-20 bodies per day turn up at Basra morgue. Most have been killed by a gunshot wound to the head (worryingly from 9mm) . Some 15 per cent are women.
  • The majority of sectarian killings are being committed by police elements.
  • Iranian intelligence are making their presence felt.

I think we are going to see a lot more about Basra in the headlines in the next few weeks. Whitehall may well have its work cut out.

Author

  • Charlie Edwards is Director of National Security and Resilience Studies at the Royal United Services Institute. Prior to RUSI he was a Research Leader at the RAND Corporation focusing on Defence and Security where he conducted research and analysis on a broad range of subject areas including: the evaluation and implementation of counter-violent extremism programmes in Europe and Africa, UK cyber strategy, European emergency management, and the role of the internet in the process of radicalisation. He has undertaken fieldwork in Iraq, Somalia, and the wider Horn of Africa region.

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