Basra backfires

Before the war, allied war planners had predicted that Basra, Iraq8217;s second-largest city, would welcome US and British troops. Many res...

Before the war, allied war planners had predicted that Basra, Iraq8217;s second-largest city, would welcome US and British troops. Many residents have indeed expressed relief that the Baath Party apparatus, led by Sunni Muslims, is gone. Many have voiced anger at abuses committed in Saddam8217;s name over the years.

But alongside joy lies ambivalence 8212; even hostility 8212; toward British military presence. Mostly, this is the result of a 2 1/2-week siege that residents say produced unnecessary civilian casualties. Now, two days after British troops advanced into the city, finding little resistance, many more residents are complaining about their behaviour.

Hamdia Khudain is looking for her sons, Falah Hassan, 27, and Salah Hassan, 22. They stayed in the family home, next to a Baath Party branch office, while other family members went elsewhere for safety. But when she returned, her sons were missing. Neighbours said they were taken away by British troops, who knocked down a wall that separated her home from the Baath complex. 8216;8216;I want my sons 8212; just tell me where they are!8217;8217; she beseeched a reporter. 8216;8216;They came to set us free from Saddam, not to take our kids.8217;8217;

Others complain that British soldiers entered their houses kicking in doors and upending furniture, because they live near Baath or militia facilities. By far the most common complaint is that Basra has descended into anarchy and British forces have done little to establish security.

Offices, banks, shops, hotels and homes have been stripped bare. Tahrir Hospital reported one of its vehicles was taken at gunpoint this morning, a few hundred yards from the main gate. Another hospital reportedly had an ambulance stolen. Looters were later seen using the ambulance to load looted furniture from another house. 8216;8216;Now that the British have military control, there8217;s no law and order,8217;8217; said Andres Kruesi, an ICRC delegate.

8216;8216;We felt safe when Saddam Hussein was controlling the situation,8217;8217; said Ammar Mohammed, 32, a hotel security guard. 8216;8216;There is no security in the city,8217;8217; said Archbishop Gabriel Kassab, 64, leader of southern Iraq8217;s small Catholic Chaldean community. 8216;8216;Before they came, the city was very quiet. 8230; Then there was trouble.8217;8217;

British commanders agree disorder is a problem, but they say they are not here as a police force. They announced Tuesday that a local sheik has been chosen to set up a city administration. Meanwhile, there are too few troops to protect the city from mobs.

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8216;8216;With the British soldiers, it is free now 8212; free to take anything you want,8217;8217; said Hayder Toma, 31, a state electrical company staff. 8216;8216;The occupying power has an obligation to keep things running,8217;8217; said Kruesi. 8216;8216;They8217;re an occupying power, so they have to establish a police force.8217;8217;