IRAQ: British military commanders last night said they were conducting a major review of their tactics, following the deaths of six soldiers in Iraq. More British soldiers were killed by hostile fire yesterday than in any other incident since the war started.
"A lot of questions will be asked," said a defence source. "There will be a review of risk assessment," said another senior source. He added, however: "There will not be a wholesale donning of flak jackets and helmets."
"We want our soldiers to look approachable because we can acquire a lot of local trust and information that way," he added.
British officers described the very different approach of UK and American soldiers by pointing to Umm Qasr, the Iraqi port south of Basra and the first urban area captured by US and UK marines. "Unlike the Americans, we took our helmets and sunglasses off and looked at the Iraqis eye to eye," said a British officer. While British soldiers "get out on their feet", Americans, he said, were reluctant to leave their armoured vehicles. When they did do so - and this was the experience even in Umm Qasr - US marines were ordered to wear their full combat kit.
Ironically, the six British soldiers killed yesterday were Royal Military Police helping to train Iraqis in maintaining law and order.
It was unclear last night whether the soldiers were attacked by a hardline Shia group or by disaffected former Iraqi troops, although some analysts immediately blamed the attack on Sunni Muslims still loyal to Saddam Hussein, who have been striking US targets in the north and west. They may have decided to extend their operations southwards, especially knowing that the British soldiers, having shed their body armour, offered a soft target.
General Richard Myers, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the attacks on British forces and recent strikes on US soldiers could be part of a coordinated resistance. "We know that there are Baath party members that don't want this country to go to a democratic form of government," he told a Pentagon briefing.
"They are still out there, there are other paramilitaries probably that have joined them. How organised is yet to be determined," he added.
Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie McCourt, a British army spokesman in Basra, said the British troops patrolled the region, close to the Iranian border, regularly and that yesterday's events in no way reflected the general security situation in the south-east.
"It's normally very quiet down here," he said. "We've been here nearly two months now and this is the first time people have been deliberately, consciously shooting at us." But with Pentagon officials warning of a ratcheting-up of attacks against coalition forces there were fears that the Amara incidents could mark the start of an escalation of violence against British troops.
While 18 US soldiers have been killed by enemy fire in Iraq since George Bush declared major combat over on May 1st, yesterday's events mark the first British fatalities since April 6th, bringing the number of British personnel killed since the start of the conflict to 43.
Defence sources said the attacks would be met with what they called a "robust response". However, military commanders said they hoped the attacks were isolated.
There are are about 12,000 British troops still in southern Iraq. Ministry of Defence sources said last night there were no plans to increase that number, though they will be rotated. Some of yesterday's casualties were due to come home at the end of June.
British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister heard the news of the casualties with sadness. "It goes without saying that he believes those who died have died with honour doing a very worthwhile job, serving their country with great distinction."