Iraqi troops let Brits return to "no go zones" in Basra

Telegraph:

Commanders say the joint operations have, in a matter of weeks, brought a measure of normality to a city that had fallen under the sway of powerful criminal gangs and the Iranian-backed fighters.

But the patrols represent a reverse in policy by British forces, which retreated last year from Basra under a barrage of fire that pushed the UK’s casualty rate temporarily above the Americans.

A botched attempt in March by Iraqi soldiers to take control of Basra pressed the British back to the city centre, following their withdrawal to Basra Airbase in December.

The British military is now operating from a forward base at the Shatt al-Arab Hotel.

Officers hardened by the demands of foot patrols in Northern Ireland are once again leading raw Iraqi recruits past shops and hairdressing salons where posters proclaim loyalty to Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shia cleric whose Mahdi army led attacks on the British.

On a patrol which was attended by The Daily Telegraph, a platoon of Rhine Co 1 Scots alternated with Iraqi soldiers in the notorious Jumhuriyah neighbourhood, formerly a no-go zone for British troops in the heart of Basra.

Hesitant cheers of "welcome" and "peace" greeted the patrol but the reception was mixed with many more blank stares.

Even so the night operation represented a significant turn of events. Commanders handed over responsibility for Basra’s security in December, insisting that local forces were capable of taking charge.

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There is much more.

The Brits should be embarrassed by their Basra performance. It is clear that the Iraqis presence makes their trips into the no go zones possible at this point. Without the Maliki offensive a few weeks ago the British troops would still be hunkered down in their FOB or boarding craft to leave Iraq. Now they are out doing what US troops have been doing for a year working closely with the Iraqi troops and protecting neighborhoods.