Iraq Arrests Two British Soldiers: Britain Negotiates With Tanks

[Kangy]

Two British soldiers were arrested whilst undercover earlier today, as they fired warning shots on Iraqi police after being stopped at a checkpoint. After being jailed at a nearby Basra prison (the city under British control) for a few hours, British troops stormed the prison, and drove 6 tanks through the prison wall, freeing the two captive soldiers inside. Unfortunately, the move also freed a number of other prisoners.

Now, taking this light heartedly for a moment, I'll have to quote Michael Caine.

You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!

Now that's over, I guess this is bad news on a day of rising tension for British forces. However, we're pretty good at dealing with this, since we've been sorting out this kind of nonsense in Northern Ireland before the US even knew what terrorism was. 10/10 for jail breaking in style, though.

 

[Icarusintel]

i tell you what, i gotta respect them for not taking any shit whatsoever... britain just jumped to the number 2 country on my list of awesome countries

 

[Zeus]

yeah what icarus said

 

[Feath]

This is really interesting. I'm waiting for more facts to come out.

 

[CptStern]

you guys cant be serious:

Official Iraqi sources say British tanks stormed the city's jail, but the Ministry of Defence says the men's release was negotiated."

"Witnesses told the Associated Press around 150 prisoners escaped during the operation but Iraqi officials later denied any prisoners had escaped. "


you guys support this just because they're brits? come on, this sets a horrible precedent. What confidence will the iraqi people have that they are actually in charge? They were in the wrong, they should have gone through normal channels ..this kind of gung-ho rambo bullshit will lead to more unnecessary deaths

 

[Icarusintel]

you guys support this just because they're brits? come on, this sets a horrible precedent. What confidence will the iraqi people have that they are actually in charge? They were in the wrong, they should have gone through normal channels ..this kind of gung-ho rambo bullshit will lead to more unnecessary deaths

I don;t support it because they're british, I support it because they kicked some ass... I always like that... the prisoners escaping was an unpleasant side effect

 

[Absinthe]

If there were no negotiations and the two soldiers were captured while undercover (which is more than understandable), then I'd say you're an idiot for supporting this.

This is the complete wrong way to go about such a situation.

 

[Kebean PFC]

They had the balls to do it though.

 

[Absinthe]

Bush had the balls to invade a country and spit in the face of the world. Turned out wonderfully, didn't it?

I don't care how much testosterone was involved in this little operation, as the idiocy far surpasses it.

 

[OCybrManO]

Oddly enough, I didn't imagine Michael Caine saying that. When I read it I heard Eddie Izzard saying it in my mind... and in French!

 

[sadman]

if it was american soldiers doing this no one would support it, im with stern wrong is wrong no matter where your from.

 

[Kangy]

Ah, supposedly the story is now that the Iraqi militia were getting dangerously close to the two prisoners, so obviously it'd be completely unfair to let them suffer some horrible fate at their hands.

Say what you want, but they did the right thing and looked after their own men.

 

[marksmanHL2 :)]

I dont think I know enough details to make a decision on what I feel about this..


I doubt they just stormed the prison for the hell of it. I hope to god they didnt anyway....

 

[Murray_H]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4262336.stm

To me, they don't sound like normal soldiers. The MOD asked to blank out their faces from pictures, and then they rammed the prison with a tank. Perhaps the men are SAS and were on a mission which went tits up....?

 

[Feath]

If there were no negotiations and the two soldiers were captured while undercover (which is more than understandable), then I'd say you're an idiot for supporting this.

This is the complete wrong way to go about such a situation.

We did try to get the men normally. We even sent a helicopter to pick them up, but we were refused. It's not as if we just barraged into a police station without trying anything else.

Anyway more details have become apparently. Worrying details actually:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4262336.stm

After troops broke into the police station to confirm the men were not there, they staged a rescue from a house in Basra, said the commanding officer of 12 Mechanised Brigade in Basra.

"I'm delighted that the two British soldiers are back with British forces and are in good health," Brig Lorimer said.

But he added: "It is of deep concern that British soldiers held by the police should then end up being held by the militia. This is unacceptable."

 

[Venmoch]

Not entirely related but.......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/in_pictures_enl_1127210877/img/1.jpg

Ow......

 

[el Chi]

What a ridiculous way to deal with things. I understand that it was a difficult situation, but isn't this a bit extreme? Whatever happened to covert operations?

 

[Feath]

What a ridiculous way to deal with things. I understand that it was a difficult situation, but isn't this a bit extreme? Whatever happened to covert operations?

It worked.

 

[el Chi]

Come on Feath, that's not a be-all-and-end-all solid defence of any strategem.

 

[Feath]

Come on Feath, that's not a be-all-and-end-all solid defence of any strategem.

I know, but what I mean is that it both worked and I think they had to act fast. Two soldiers lives were on the line.

 

[CptStern]

It worked.

no it didnt it failed miserably ..150 prisoners escaped ..how many more innocents will die because of that? What about the rule of law? Does that not apply because they're coalition forces. They stormed the prison for nothing ..the soldiers werent even there, they had been moved to another location. 150 prisoners escaped because of their gung-ho attitude.

 

[el Chi]

I know, but I just think that their "plan" was ridiculously ostentatious and - grabnted I'm not there so I could have this a million times over WRONG - but it just seems that surely there would've been a better way that wouldn't have made us seem so willfully destructive. Well, even moreso.

 

[SAJ]

Why isnt anyone interested in what these soldiers were up to when they were arrested?
Isnt `undercover soldier` just another word for spy?

 

[CptStern]

Why isnt anyone interested in what these soldiers were up to when they were arrested?
Isnt `undercover soldier` just another word for spy?

yes good point ..they also fired on iraqi police

 

[kirovman]

Isn't the shooting of spies during war time permitted by the Geneva convention?

 

[Feath]

Why isnt anyone interested in what these soldiers were up to when they were arrested?
Isnt `undercover soldier` just another word for spy?

Well, it's two words, but no.

edit: Also, whilst carrying out this undercover work they were arrested. That doesn't mean that they should automatically be shot. The Iraqi Police and The British Military are meant to be on the same side, for god's sake.

 

[No Limit]

I know, but what I mean is that it both worked and I think they had to act fast. Two soldiers lives were on the line.

Are you kidding me? The right wing is getting insane, when I heard this yesterday I didn't think anyone would support what the british did. Then I see you among with others here prasing it so I decided to check Free Republic and all those right wing nut cases support it too. If anything you guys should be the last to support anything like this, aren't you the same guys that claim Iraq is its own free country? If what you claim is true this would mean that the british attacked a federal building belonging to a sovereign country, aka an act of war.

I also find it odd that you guys are quick to attack any muslim that is a "terrorist" yet these guys were caught with a car load full of explosives, they were shooting at Iraqi police officers, and you don't see this as a problem? Honestly, is there a low you guys wont reach?

 

[Kangy]

No Limit, they were undercover, maintaining cover. The word is that they were rooting out terrorists and corruption within the Iraqi police force. The militia obviously found out, and they would probably have KILLED the two men if the task force hadn't got them out of there first. I don't care if it's a sovereign country, Iraq failed to protect our men so we had to do it ourselves.

 

[gick]

I don;t support it because they're british, I support it because they kicked some ass... I always like that...

Al Quada kicked some ass on 9/11, did you like that?

 

[No Limit]

No Limit, they were undercover, maintaining cover. The word is that they were rooting out terrorists and corruption within the Iraqi police force. The militia obviously found out, and they would probably have KILLED the two men if the task force hadn't got them out of there first. I don't care if it's a sovereign country, Iraq failed to protect our men so we had to do it ourselves.

Who cares what the word is? The point is that the British attacked a federal building belonging to a sovereign nation. Unless of course Iraq isn't a sovereign nation like the right wing claims and is just a puppet state set up by the US government. Come on, do you guys not understand the message this sends to Iraq and the world? They could have easily got the 2 Brtis out through official channels, instead they chose to show the world Iraq has no power to do anything on their own.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Al Quada kicked some ass on 9/11, did you like that?

Exactly. If you're right-wing and reacted like this to the British news

"Woh kickass tanks man, they rescued their men heroically , busted a prison and shit! Kewwwwwl"

Then your exact opposites (or equals??), the Islamic right reacted like to 9/11

"Oh cool the jets flew straight into the building and blew up those towers, coool, so heroic, they are martyrs, alla hu ackbar!!"

How long before these simplistic, dumb, gungho, idiotic attitudes stop?

 

[Solaris]

Totally, what our forces did totally underminded the so called Iraqi free state.

 

[Kangy]

Who cares what the word is? The point is that the British attacked a federal building belonging to a sovereign nation. They could have easily got the 2 Brtis out through official channels, instead they chose to show the world Iraq has no power to do anything on their own.

What? Every source admits that the militia weren't far off getting a hold of these two soldiers. Iraq failed in getting them to safety through official channels. And honestly, I don't give a shit about what some politician is claiming about Iraq when two of our obviously most trusted soldiers were minutes away from kidnap, torture and possibly execution.

 

[Solaris]

They fired on Iraqi soldiers, only they missed, so the shots are now warning shots.

 

[Kangy]

Yeah, because undercover British soldiers meant to kill Iraqi policemen at a time when tensions are high in the area.

 

[Murray_H]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4262336.stm

To me, they don't sound like normal soldiers. The MOD asked to blank out their faces from pictures, and then they rammed the prison with a tank. Perhaps the men are SAS and were on a mission which went tits up....?

They were SAS soldiers, which is perhaps why they were so eager to get them out.

 

[CptStern]

"Reports said two Iraqi civilians were killed and three soldiers injured in the clashes"


you've just worn out your welcome in that area

 

[Kangy]

"Reports said two Iraqi civilians were killed and three soldiers injured in the clashes"


you've just worn out your welcome in that area

Stern, we've been dealing with this kind of stuff for decades in Northern Ireland. Unlike the US, we're experienced and we actually have a lot of respect with the citizens of Basra.

 

[CptStern]

Stern, we've been dealing with this kind of stuff for decades in Northern Ireland. Unlike the US, we're experienced and we actually have a lot of respect with the citizens of Basra.

"the troubles" is a cake walk compared to Iraq

 

[Kangy]

Not in Southern Iraq. It's an entirely different climate, partially because we started in a completely different fashion the US. The population is different in ethnicity and how they conduct themselves.