May 02, 2004

Britain to deploy up to 4,000 additional soldiers

Thousands of troops are to be sent to Iraq to take control of the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf in the largest expansion of British forces since the start of the war more than a year ago.
    
Up to 4,000 troops will begin arriving in Iraq in the next few weeks to plug the gap left by the 1,300 Spanish soldiers who were withdrawn from the country last week.
[Grrrrrr...don't get me started on what I think of the Spanish!--Jen]
   
 Prime Minister Tony Blair made the decision to send additional troops to Iraq after meeting President Bush at the White House two weeks ago.
[...]
The British force will be composed of troops from the Royal Marine commandos
[Royal Marines are almost as tough as ours! Hurray for their deployment!--J.T.]
, a parachute regiment battalion and an infantry battalion, as well as supporting elements from the artillery and logistics units.
[...]
Although it is possible that other countries might offer to commit more troops to Iraq, U.S. generals have made it clear that their preferred option is for more British reinforcements.
[...]
"Not sending troops was never really an option because of the message it would have sent to the rest of the coalition," a senior Defense Ministry official said. "It is difficult to predict how long these troops will have to remain in Iraq, but it won't be less than two years. This means that many troops, mainly from the infantry and logistical support units, will have to complete a six-month tour of duty in Iraq every 10 months. ..."
[...]
The United States has avoided an all-out offensive against Najaf for fear of antagonizing Iraqis.

Thank you, Britain.
We appreciate the help.
Looks as if we're employing a "careful, wait and watch" strategery with Najaf, similar to the way we've handled the siege of Falluja.
Lookie here, though; the Brits are already proving that they have "the right stuff" when they met members of the "Mahdi Army:"
Five Iraqis Killed in Clash With Britons

A British foot patrol came under attack in the southern city of Amarah on Saturday, sparking a seven-and-a-half-hour gunbattle with insurgents in the city center that left five Iraqis dead and six British soldiers injured, witnesses and a British forces spokesman said.

Witnesses said the five Iraqis killed were members of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army. The bodies of the dead were brought to al-Sadr's office in the town, they said.
[...]
Last month, fighting in Amarah between al-Sadr's followers and British troops killed 15 Iraqis and wounded eight.

Go, Brits!
Those Mahdi madmen oughtta surrender--the numbers and the firepower really aren't in their favor...and it seems they're still trying to negotiate a surrender or hudna of sorts:
Iraqis to Meet With U.S. Officials on Najaf Standoff.
But for a small band (estimated at about 2,000 jihadis) of killers who haven't proven themselves to be the superior force in battle nor who have won anything close to a real victory, al-Sadr's boys surely want a lot of concessions.
Don't leave your computer for very long, because this story can change by the hour and sometimes by the minute.