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Iraqi who risked all for Britain is left to his fate in Basra
An interpreter employed by the Army in Basra for five years has been refused a place on a scheme to resettle Iraqi employees in Britain because he is deemed to be a security risk.
Mohammed Motlag, 47, had been told that he and his family could be among the first to be relocated to Britain under a fast-track programme to offer asylum to current Army employees. He has learnt, however, that his application for asylum has been rejected for “security reasons”.
Mr Motlag, whose five-year-old son was kidnapped because of his work for the British, said: “It was very shameful to learn that the British did not accept me. My wife had to be taken to hospital because she fainted upon hearing the news.
“I cried. I have liked Britain since I was a child. I grew up reading Shake-speare and used to think, ‘What a civili-sation’.”
The resettlement scheme was introduced by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, last October after a campaign in The Times about the plight of Iraqi interpreters who had been killed or intimidated by militias because of their work.Officials have from the outset attempted to restrict its scope, however, to limit the numbers of those able to benefit while doing just enough to “respond to perceptions” that the Government had a moral obligation to its local staff.
Mr Motlag, who has two children, learnt of his fate when he was summoned to the Labour Support Unit, which handles the military’s Iraqi workers. He was told: “Mohammed, we are very sorry but the British Government does not accept you for asylum in the United Kingdom.” The decision to deny the application for asylum has surprised Mr Motlag’s employers in Basra, who appear to have nothing but praise for him.
In a letter of reference written in April 2004 by Brigadier Julian Free, then a lieutenant-colonel, who went on to become one of Britain’s top commanders in Basra, Mr Motlag is said to have “proved to be extremely reliable and hard working, putting in many extra hours and accompanying troops on house searches and operations, which other local employees would not attend”.
A British officer who has worked with Mr Motlag told The Times: “He is absolutely fantastic. He has been an important servant and done an important service to our country.”
Mr Motlag, like many interpreters, has paid dearly for his devoted service and has first-hand experience of the tactics used by Shia militants to frighten local people who work for the British Army. An interpreter employed by the Army in Basra for five years has been refused a place on a scheme to resettle Iraqi employees in Britai... more -
Troops pour into south Iraqi city
Iraqi troops and police backed by US forces have been sent to the southern city of Amara in a fresh operation against Shia gunmen, officials say.
Iraqi army tanks have been patrolling major streets in the city and the security forces set up checkpoints.
Hundreds were reported killed in March in battles which began in Basra and spread to Baghdad and elsewhere.
A main militia leader, Moqtada Sadr, has ordered his Mehdi Army followers to observe a ceasefire, but the authorities say attacks by Shia militiamen have continued. Helicopters dropped leaflets on Amara, the capital of Maysan province, urging residents to stay at home and not to interfere with the operation.
A spokesman for US forces declined to give details other than saying it was led and planned by the Iraqis. Iraqi troops and police backed by US forces have been sent to the southern city of Amara in a fresh operation against Shia gunmen, off... more -
UK troops could be out of Iraq 'this year'
Discussions have begun about forces pulling out of southern Iraq if the security situation continued to improve at its current pace, according to the BBC.
The government has been under pressure from the military to release the troops, who are now stationed at barracks just outside Basra, with pressure also mounting in Afghanistan.
Previous plans to reduce troop numbers to 2,500 were put on hold in March.
Some commentators have said that the withdrawal of troops by the end of the year would fit with the US Presidential elections, possibly meaning less opposition from Washington over their decision to take action. Discussions have begun about forces pulling out of southern Iraq if the security situation continued to improve at its current pace, a... more -
Kidnapped British journalist freed in Basra
A British journalist kidnapped in Basra in February was freed today after Iraqi forces stormed the house where he was being held and overwhelmed his captors.
Richard Butler, a photographer on assigment for the US network CBS, was found with a sack over his head and his hands tied inside a house in Basra, according to an Iraqi army spokesman.
Mr Butler was seized by a group of about eight masked gunmen wielding machine guns who stormed a hotel in the southern Iraqi city on February 10. His interpreter was seized along with him but freed thre days later.
He was freed today after a fierce firefight between his abductors and the army's Fourteenth Division in Basra's Jubaiyia neighbourhood, a stronghold of Shia militia. A British journalist kidnapped in Basra in February was freed today after Iraqi forces stormed the house where he was being held and o... more -
1,300 Iraqi Troops, Police Dismissed
Iraq's government moved Sunday to restore discipline within the ranks of the security forces, sacking more than 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted during recent fighting against Shiite militias in Basra.
At the same time, Iraq's Cabinet ratcheted up the pressure on anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr by approving draft legislation barring political parties with militias from participating in upcoming provincial elections.
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said "Iran is very active in southern Iraq".
What do you guys make of it? Iraq's government moved Sunday to restore discipline within the ranks of the security forces, sacking more than 1,300 soldiers an... more -
Iraq snubbed UK support, opting for US
According to The Times, relations between British and Iraqi military 'suffered catastrophic failure' when security forces in Baghdad bypassed the British military and called in US troops as their back-up when fighting the recent offensive against the Shia militia.
British officials responsible for troops in Iraq claimed that the Basra offensive was proof Iraqi troops could cope on their own. This response has now come under question after it has emerged that after a Brigadier commander of the 4 Mechanised Brigade flew into Basra to evaluate the current situation, the Iraqi PM declined to meet with him. According to The Times, relations between British and Iraqi military 'suffered catastrophic failure' when security forces in... more -
Iraq's PM threatens to bar Sadr from vote
Iraq's prime minister raised the stakes in his showdown with followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, saying they would be barred from elections unless their militia disbands.
"A decision was taken... that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mehdi Army," Mr Maliki said. "Solving the problem comes in no other way than dissolving the Mehdi Army," he said.
Sadr spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi rejected the ultimatum: "No one can intervene in the Mehdi Army; only those who established it and the religious leaders," he said. Iraq's prime minister raised the stakes in his showdown with followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, saying they would ... more -
Six civilians dead as US jets target Basra
A US air strike destroyed a house in Basra yesterday, killing one militant, but Iraqi police said six civilians were among the dead.
The attack came in an apparent change of tactics as the Iraqi government carried out more targeted raids instead of directly taking on militia men after a week of fierce clashes that spread to Baghdad and other southern cities. A US air strike destroyed a house in Basra yesterday, killing one militant, but Iraqi police said six civilians were among the dead. ... more -
The cost of the war on the Iraqis
"Abdul Qader's suffering is part of the human toll of the worst violence in months in Iraq. At least 400 people, from the southern city of Basra to the capital, Baghdad, were killed over six days, including many civilians, according to Iraqi police and other officials. Countless more were injured, joining thousands of Iraqis whose lives have been shattered by five years of conflict."
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Question is, if we leave ... what would be worse? How many deaths would result in civil war? "Abdul Qader's suffering is part of the human toll of the worst violence in months in Iraq. At least 400 people, from the so... more -
Iraqi deaths at highest since mid-2007
Iraqi government figures released this week showed that violent civilian deaths in Iraq climbed to their highest level since mid-2007.
A total of 923 civilians died violently in March, and 1,358 were wounded making it the deadliest month since August 2007. The increase in casualties was caused primarily by the surge in fighting between Iraq security forces and Mehdi Army militia fighters.
The figure is still down on last year, when 1,861 civilians died violently in the same month.
The southern city of Basra, where most of last weeks fighting took place, remained relatively calm today for the second day after the leader of Iraq's Mahdi Army Shia militia called for a ceasefire on Sunday. Iraqi government figures released this week showed that violent civilian deaths in Iraq climbed to their highest level since mid-2007.... more -
Iraq's Sadr orders followers off streets
Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on his followers on Sunday to stop battling government forces after a week of fighting in southern Iraq and Baghdad threatened to spiral out of control.
A crackdown on Shi'ite militants in the southern oil port of Basra has sparked an explosion of violence that has risked undoing the past year's improvements in Iraq's security. Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on his followers on Sunday to stop battling government forces after a week of fightin... more -
Iraqi vs. Iraqi
The fight in Basra is being billed as the Iraqi government versus the militias of Shi'ite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.
There seems to be no breakthrough in the fighting by either side. As much as half of the city remains under militia control, hospitals in some parts of the city are reported full, and the violence continued to spread. The fight in Basra is being billed as the Iraqi government versus the militias of Shi'ite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. ... more -
Iraqi Prime Minister says he'll fight the militia to the end
"Iraq's U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Thursday that security forces would battle Shi'ite militia in Basra "to the end", despite huge demonstrations to demand his resignation.
Mehdi Army fighters loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr remained in control of much of Basra, Iraq's second biggest city and main oil hub, defying a three-day government offensive that has led to violence spreading across the south and Baghdad."
What do you think about this? "Iraq's U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Thursday that security forces would battle Shi'ite militia i... more -
Iraqi PM issues ceasefire deadline for Mehdi Army
Witnesses have seen huge explosions and hear continued gunfire in the southern city of Basra where fighting is going on between Iraqi security forces and members of the Mehdi Army, a Shia militia.
The Mehdi Army is reportedly in the middle of a turf war with rival Shia militias in the city which was handed over to Iraqi security forces in December. The fighting started a day after the Prime Minister Nouri Maliki visited the city. During his visit he said the government had decided to "re-impose security, stability and law" in the oil-rich city.
The fighting has continued for a second day and does not show any sign of letting up. Early reports suggest that at least 40 people have been killed and 200 wounded in the fighting that broke out on Tuesday. Ground commander Major-General Ali Zaidan told Reuters his forces had killed more than 30 militants on the first day of the operation, which began before dawn on Tuesday. More than 25 were wounded and around 50 were captured, he said.
"The operation is still going on and will not stop until it achieves its objectives," he said. "It is on the same scale as yesterday."
The Prime Minister of Iraq has now issued a 72 hour deadline for the militias to put down their weapons with no word as yet of the consequences of breaching the deadline.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/26/iraq.main... Witnesses have seen huge explosions and hear continued gunfire in the southern city of Basra where fighting is going on between Iraqi ... more -
Deal to free CBS journalists in Iraq
Negotiators have reportedly reached a deal and CBS' British reporter and his Iraqi translator will be freed - potentially in the next few days or even hours. Hareth al-Athari, the head of the Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Basra office said "we have a dispute with the British forces in Basra but that doesn't mean we have a dispute with the British people," and that the kidnappers had agreed to release the prisoners.
If they are let free, they can count themselves among the lucky: the Committee to Protect Journalists says 125 journalists and 49 support workers have been killed in Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
**Update: So far, the interpretor has been released, and negotiations are ongoing over the British reporter.
AP report here: http://tinyurl.com/2m3xwx Negotiators have reportedly reached a deal and CBS' British reporter and his Iraqi translator will be freed - potentially in the ... more -
Britain Hands the 'Chaos in Basra' Back to Iraq
Britain has pulled out of Basra, handing control of the city back to Iraqis. But is it the right move?
"The full scale of the chaos left behind by British forces in Basra was revealed yesterday as the city's police chief described a province in the grip of well-armed militias strong enough to overpower security forces and brutal enough to behead women considered not sufficiently Islamic.
As British forces finally handed over security in Basra province, marking the end of 4½ years of control in southern Iraq, Major General Jalil Khalaf, the new police commander, said the occupation had left him with a situation close to mayhem. "They left me militia, they left me gangsters, and they left me all the troubles in the world," he said." Britain has pulled out of Basra, handing control of the city back to Iraqis. But is it the right move? ... more -
Iraq regains control of Basra
British Maj. Gen. Graham Binns hands control of Iraq province Basra to the Iraqi government. After so many years it good to see some steps towards giving the country back to the Iraqis but I wounder if it will last. I imagine all eyes will be on Basra city, Iraq's second-largest next to Baghdad, to see if the provincial government can set up and get things done. British Maj. Gen. Graham Binns hands control of Iraq province Basra to the Iraqi government. After so many years it good to see some s... more
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Gordon Brown: "Happy Xmas, the war is over. Soon. Maybe."
Gordon Brown's unexpectedly flown into Iraq to thank British troops and has hinted that their combat role may be coming to an end. The Prime Minister told forces that Basra will be handed over to the Iraqi government in the next two weeks and said: "The whole British people are proud of everything you've achieved, and I'm so grateful for everything you do."
He also broke his silence over the five British hostages held in Iraq, rejecting their kidnappers' demands and demanding the men's immediate release. Gordon Brown's unexpectedly flown into Iraq to thank British troops and has hinted that their combat role may be coming to an end... more -
'Get us out of here'
Gethin Chamberlain in Basra is given a simple and stark message from a senior British officer in Iraq: 'We have got it wrong'
It was as astonishing an admission as any that has emerged from the lips of a British officer in the four and a half years since the tanks rolled over the Iraqi border. The British Army, said the man sitting in a prefab hut in Britain's last base in the country, were tired of fighting. Gethin Chamberlain in Basra is given a simple and stark message from a senior British officer in Iraq: 'We have got it wrong'... more -
Basra fight pointless, says British commander
One of the most senior British commanders in Iraq has claimed that there is no point in fighting on in Basra, likening British troops in the city to "Robocop" and admitting that innocent people were hurt as a result of their actions.
.... One of the most senior British commanders in Iraq has claimed that there is no point in fighting on in Basra, likening British troops ... more
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