MoD Information

Royal Marines in Early

Tue, March 18, 2003

Source: Ananova News

US military officials say the Royal Marines are poised to invade Iraq's largest southern city early in the expected attack on Saddam Hussein.

US military officials say the Royal Marines are poised to invade Iraq's largest southern city early in the expected attack on Saddam Hussein. Basra, which lies 40 miles from the border with Kuwait, is believed to be vulnerable after the Iraqi leader ordered his front-line divisions to pull back to defend Baghdad.

If the city falls quickly and allied troops are welcomed by its people as liberators, it could help boost the propaganda war and win international support for the invasion.

Major Chris Hughes, a US Marine Corps spokesman told the New York Times: "The first image of this war will define the conflict."

Military officials plan to bus and fly journalists into the city to record any scenes of jubilation. They believe a swift victory in Basra would also encourage Iraqi troops elsewhere in the country to surrender.

The officials said the Royal Marines, who will be backed by US Marines, are likely to receive support from the local population.

Thousands of Basra's largely Shiite Muslim population were suppressed by Saddam's forces after staging an uprising at the end of the 1991 Gulf War. British and US officials are planning to organise relief convoys of food and aid as soon as it falls.

The Pentagon has dispatched a 60-member disaster response team that will enter the city with allied troops. US forces have already begun radio broadcasts and leaflet drops in Basra advising residents they will avoid bombing electrical and other civilian infrastructure targets.

Officials say the port city is currently protected by poorly trained and equipped garrison units. But fears of a trap were raised when Saddam appointed Ali Hassan al-Majid to direct the defence of southern Iraq.

Al-Majid is nicknamed Chemical Ali for his use of mustard and nerve gases against the Kurdish population in northern Iraq in 1988. Some analysts believe Saddam may be preparing to surprise allied forces by presenting Basra as a vulnerable target and then attacking them with chemical or biological weapons.