UK: Out of Basra
By Dominic Moran for ISN
With the Iraqi government unable to agree on the extension of their mandate, the last British troops in Iraq have been withdrawn, at least temporarily, to Kuwait.
The pullout allows a sober reappraisal of a mission that started with high hopes and ended in security chaos and recriminations, and of prospects for the future security and political stability of Basra.
After suffering at the hands of the Saddam Hussein regime, the predominantly Shia residents of Basra welcomed British-led troops when they seized the city in 2003.
However, the collapse of central authority, disestablishment of Iraqi security forces and failure of occupation forces to secure control led to the seizure of large swathes of the city by Shia militant factions, which launched attacks on foreign troops and each other. The British response was marred by alleged prisoner abuse.
An inquiry is currently underway into one such instance, in which an Iraqi detainee, Baha Mousa, was allegedly tortured and killed in British custody in September 2003. Mousa's legal team claims that hundreds of former Iraqi detainees of British forces have approached the firm with similar accusations of mistreatment.
As British forces complete their pullout, there are fears for the safety of the estimated 5,000-6,000 Iraqis who worked as interpreters in Basra, with one Iraqi commander reportedly external pagewarningthem to "get out or die." Only 500 are eligible for a UK visa scheme.
It is hoped that both issues will be addressed in full by the recently formed independent inquiry into the overall conduct of the British mission, though the fact that much of the military testimony thereto will apparently be heard in private session does not bode well.
The UK effectively ended any pretense that it could bring the situation in Basra under control with the handover of security authority to Iraqi forces in December 2007, which was preceded by the withdrawal of troops to the city's periphery.
US and Iraqi forces subsequently altered the security situation in the city with a large-scale operation against the Mahdi army in March 2008.
With the recent US troop withdrawal from the city completing the ostensible exit of foreign troops, a primary irritant that has acted to promote violence in the past has been removed.
According to US-based Iraqi rights group Epic, over 1,600 arrests had been made by Iraqi security services in the year to May, as part of an operation targeting criminals and those responsible for sporadic attacks that have included failed assassination strikes against the local police director-general and Basra's governor.
Building on the seeming public popularity of the crackdown, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc snared 20 of 35 seats on the local provincial council in January elections.
Maliki's key Shia rivals in the city, Fadilah and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq/Badr, were crushed, winning just six seats between them. The involvement of Sadrists and representatives of the embattled Sunni minority in the poll was particularly pleasing.
There are concerns that al-Maliki is using his newly won authority at the national level and in the Shia polity to cement his personal power and delimit freedom of expression.
However, power relations between key factions in this economically crucial oil export hub and Baghdad are likely to remain managed, at best, for the foreseeable future.
With prospects for the revival of the Iraqi economy dependent on the rehabilitation of southern oil fields, securing security and political stability in Basra is crucial. Despite recent improvements, it is still too early to tell whether this can be achieved and, if so, at what price.
The pullout allows a sober reappraisal of a mission that started with high hopes and ended in security chaos and recriminations, and of prospects for the future security and political stability of Basra.
After suffering at the hands of the Saddam Hussein regime, the predominantly Shia residents of Basra welcomed British-led troops when they seized the city in 2003.
However, the collapse of central authority, disestablishment of Iraqi security forces and failure of occupation forces to secure control led to the seizure of large swathes of the city by Shia militant factions, which launched attacks on foreign troops and each other. The British response was marred by alleged prisoner abuse.
An inquiry is currently underway into one such instance, in which an Iraqi detainee, Baha Mousa, was allegedly tortured and killed in British custody in September 2003. Mousa's legal team claims that hundreds of former Iraqi detainees of British forces have approached the firm with similar accusations of mistreatment.
As British forces complete their pullout, there are fears for the safety of the estimated 5,000-6,000 Iraqis who worked as interpreters in Basra, with one Iraqi commander reportedly external pagewarningthem to "get out or die." Only 500 are eligible for a UK visa scheme.
It is hoped that both issues will be addressed in full by the recently formed independent inquiry into the overall conduct of the British mission, though the fact that much of the military testimony thereto will apparently be heard in private session does not bode well.
The UK effectively ended any pretense that it could bring the situation in Basra under control with the handover of security authority to Iraqi forces in December 2007, which was preceded by the withdrawal of troops to the city's periphery.
US and Iraqi forces subsequently altered the security situation in the city with a large-scale operation against the Mahdi army in March 2008.
With the recent US troop withdrawal from the city completing the ostensible exit of foreign troops, a primary irritant that has acted to promote violence in the past has been removed.
According to US-based Iraqi rights group Epic, over 1,600 arrests had been made by Iraqi security services in the year to May, as part of an operation targeting criminals and those responsible for sporadic attacks that have included failed assassination strikes against the local police director-general and Basra's governor.
Building on the seeming public popularity of the crackdown, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc snared 20 of 35 seats on the local provincial council in January elections.
Maliki's key Shia rivals in the city, Fadilah and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq/Badr, were crushed, winning just six seats between them. The involvement of Sadrists and representatives of the embattled Sunni minority in the poll was particularly pleasing.
There are concerns that al-Maliki is using his newly won authority at the national level and in the Shia polity to cement his personal power and delimit freedom of expression.
However, power relations between key factions in this economically crucial oil export hub and Baghdad are likely to remain managed, at best, for the foreseeable future.
With prospects for the revival of the Iraqi economy dependent on the rehabilitation of southern oil fields, securing security and political stability in Basra is crucial. Despite recent improvements, it is still too early to tell whether this can be achieved and, if so, at what price.