Flypast marks RAF tankers' farewell to Iraq

CREWS from 101 Squadron came home to RAF Brize Norton tonight after almost 19 years serving in the Middle East.

A flypast of the squadron’s VC10 tanker aircraft was held at the base at Carterton to mark the return home of the air-to-air refuelling unit, which was first deployed to the region in 1990 in the build-up to the first Gulf War.

Its crews also saw service in the skies above Afghanistan and Iraq, refuelling British and allied aircraft on combat patrols following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Wing Commander Steve Lushington, the squadron’s commanding officer, said: “The past 18 years have shown the incredible capability and versatility of the VC10 force.

“Circumstances naturally change, we stand ready to provide our world-renowned service and go to wherever it is required.

“We look forward to the future and hope to further contribute to the illustrious and enviable record of 101 Squadron.”

Flt Lt Chris Haywood, 27, from Carterton was among those returning, after three-and-a-half weeks away. He was reunited with his wife Melanie, 26, and 10-week-old son Oliver.

He said: “It’s good to be back in the UK.”

Mrs Haywood said “It’s nice to see Chris again, and its nice for him to see Oliver again. It’s quite a relief to have him back safely.”

The withdrawal of British forces from Iraq ends the six-year deployment of land forces that began with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Picture Damian Halliwell l More reaction in tomorrow’s Oxford Mail

DADDY! - Elation as Iraq heroes come home - Mirror

RAF Tornado GR4 flypast at RAF Marham yesterday before landing on home soil

With arms outstretched and a beaming smile, Daddy's home.

Squadron Leader Nathan Giles sweeps up daughter Holly, four, and Edward, two, for their first cuddles in months.

It was a precious moment yesterday after another tough tour of duty in Iraq.

Squadron Leader Giles, 37, said simply: "It's great to be home."

His wife Ann, 38, held back tears as she looked on. She said: "It's nice to have him back - he's been on tour for the last five years.

"And he is off to Afghanistan in a few months."

The Tornado pilot was one of six returning from the Gulf. They staged a flypast before landing to cheers at RAF Marham near King's Lynn, Norfolk. Senior officers and 100 relatives were at the homecoming after one of the RAF's longest deployments and to mark the end of 18 years of ops in Iraq.

But there was disappointment that Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth failed to show. A diary mix-up meant he was at a meeting with MoD Chiefs of Staff.

A soldier was killed in a blast yesterday in Helmand province, Afghanistan, taking the British death toll to 166 since 2001.

RAF ends 19-year mission in Iraq - BBC

The Royal Air Force will mark the end of nearly 19 years of operations in Iraq when seven aircraft fly personnel back to the UK.

Their families will be waiting at RAF Marham in Norfolk to welcome them home.

Six Tornado jets and a VC10 transport aircraft will fly personnel from Iraq following the end of combat operations.

The RAF has been operating in and over Iraq since 1990 after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait led to the first Gulf War.

One of the RAF's jobs then was to hunt down and destroy the dictator's notorious Scud missiles.

After the end of the conflict the RAF patrolled the northern and southern no-fly zones.

The RAF played a key role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent six-year British military mission.

Operating from four bases in the Gulf, it has provided support to ground forces and performed an important logistical role.

The RAF said its time in Iraq had helped to stabilise the country. In particular, it said its work to make Basra International Airport "a genuinely international, civilian-run airport" would be "a lasting legacy".

Basra airfield was officially handed over to Iraqi control in January as part of moves to wind down the UK's commitments in the country.

The British military mission in Iraq officially came to a close at the end of April. In May the RAF ensign was lowered at Basra airport.

There will be a fly-past at RAF Marham to mark the return of the last personnel.

The ceremony will also provide an opportunity to remember the 35 personnel who lost their lives during the deployment.

Royal Air Force Waves Farewell To Middle East - Sky

Mark Stone, Sky News reporter
The Royal Air Force today ends the longest overseas deployment in its history.

Following the withdrawal of the British military from Iraq, the RAF's 19-year presence in the Middle East has come to pass.

"This is a significant milestone for the Royal Air Force," Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy told Sky News.

"Within days of the initial Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, RAF aircraft deployed to the Middle East to deter further Iraqi aggression.

"And they then played a major role in defeating Iraq's force during the first Gulf War."

"For many in the service, Iraq has dominated the majority of their careers, with some personnel completing more than 20 deployments to the region."

After the end of the conflict the RAF remained in the Middle East. For the next 12 years they patrolled Iraq's northern and southern no-fly zones.

In 2003 they played a vital role in the second invasion of Iraq and have provided support to ground forces in the region ever since.

"There isn't a part of the RAF that has not been involved in one shape or form in these operations, be it in the air or the ground," Sir Glenn said.

"Indeed, for many in the service, Iraq has dominated the majority of their careers, with some personnel completing more than 20 deployments to the region."

Today, the last contingent of that long deployment will return to UK soil.

Six Tornado GR4 fast jets and a VC10 transport aircraft carrying personnel will arrive back at RAF Marham in Norfolk, where their families will be readied to greet them.

The role of the RAF in still-active conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan is often far less visual than that of their Army colleagues. But without them, ground forces would be unable to operate.

As well as providing aerial support in the form of fighter jets and helicopters, the RAF is the logistical backbone of the British Armed Forces.

It is their helicopters who taxi the troops around, deliver supplies and medivac the injured. With its fleet of passenger aircraft it deploys and repatriates thousands of troops to and from combat zones every six months.

Troops from the RAF Regiment have also provided ground support in Iraq alongside the Army. In 2007, three RAF Regiment Gunners were killed in a mortar attack on Basra Air Station.

In all, 34 RAF personnel have been killed in the 19-year deployment; 22 of them since the start of the 2003 Gulf War. That loss will be recognised at today's ceremony at RAF Marham.

The returning planes will perform a fly-past and among those returning will be airmen who have received prestigious gallantry honours.

As well as conducting aerial and ground combat operations in Iraq, the RAF has helped to develop Basra International Airport. Civilian flights now operate from there to countries including Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.

The mission has not been without controversy though. Southern Iraq is still unstable.

For the last 18 months, British Forces have been largely confined to their bases.

The British may have pulled out now but they have been replaced by American troops who are due to remain in Iraq until 2011.

Heroes welcome for returning Iraq battalion

THE families of Hull soldiers gave a heroes' welcome to some of the last troops to return from a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.

Waving banners and cheering loudly, dozens of wives, parents and children gathered to greet their loved ones who have been responsible for mentoring the Iraqi Army and guarding senior British officials.

The troops, from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, are the final soldiers to return from the British Army's 20th Armoured Brigade, known as The Iron Fist, following last month's ceremonies to end the UK's combat mission in the Iraqi city of Basra.

They arrived at their base in Münster, north Germany, to a sea of colourful hand-painted welcome home banners that had been hung in front of the Battalion's Headquarters in Oxford Barracks, in the outskirts of the picturesque cathedral city.
Reflecting on what they have achieved whilst in Iraq, armoured vehicle driver,
Private Liam Blowman, 30, of east Hull, said the troops had made a real difference.

He said:: "I'm so excited to be back. I'm looking forward to getting out around Germany as much as possible this summer – just to have a good laugh and a few beers.
"We were the protection team for senior British and Iraqi officials. One of my jobs was as a driver for the rest of the platoon.

"It was a bit difficult at times because the roads can be a bit tight. I was in Iraq in 2007 and this time it seemed a bit more stable. You can definitely see the difference in how it was now and then."

Lance Corporal James Clark, 28, of Hull said: "It's just nice to be back now and see the kids and family.

"The kids have grown up so much and changed in the six months that I've been away.

"Now I'm looking forward to sitting down and having a cup of tea in my own home."

The soldiers will enjoy a period of normalisation before completing their homecoming by exercising the freedom of Hull and Beverley, with parades on Thursday, July 23.

Last 20 Brigade combat soldiers back home

The final combat troops from 20th Armoured Brigade (known as the Iron Fist) to leave Iraq arrived home in Munster, North Germany, on Saturday where they were greeted by overjoyed family members and friends.

The 40 soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (1 YORKS) were welcomed home from a six-month deployment to Iraq on Saturday 30 May 2009 with colourful hand-painted banners which were hung in front of the battalion's headquarters in Oxford Barracks.

In Iraq, 1 YORKS have been responsible for mentoring and training the Iraqi Army in locations across Basra province as well as guarding senior British officials in the Iraqi capital.

Officer Commanding A Company, Major Phil Bassingham-Searle, said:

"The battalion's been split between Baghdad and Basra. It's good to return and get back together. I didn't realise until today that we're the last combat troops from 20th Armoured Brigade out of Iraq. So it's good to be home, to see our families again, and the job well done by the boys.

"We've got a period of 'normalisation' back here in barracks for about 10 days, then a couple of weeks leave and then we've got some freedom parades.

"There'll be 150 soldiers on parade and it'll be nice for the people of Yorkshire to come out and show their appreciation for what the guys have done this year."

Armoured vehicle driver, Private Liam Blowman, added:

"We were the protection team for senior British and Iraqi officials. One of my jobs was as a driver for the rest of the platoon. It was a bit difficult at times because the roads can be a bit tight.

"I was in Iraq in 2007 and this time it seemed a bit more stable. You can definitely see the difference in how it was now and then."

Returning from his first tour of Iraq, Private Luke Hawkin said:

"It's good to say that 'I've been there and done that'. It was satisfying work in Baghdad, helping the General with his movements and protecting him. It was nice to be there and do our jobs professionally.

"We didn't have to fire our weapons, so to get a tour out of the way without anyone getting injured is the best bit of all.

"I'm now looking forward to a few weeks in Germany and then getting back to the UK. I can't wait to march through York, it'll be good."

Lance Corporal James Clark concluded:

"It's just nice to be back now and see the kids and family. The kids have grown up so much and changed in the six months that I've been away. Now I'm looking forward to sitting down and having a cup of Yorkshire tea in my own home."

1 YORKS will be exercising the freedom of a number of Yorkshire towns and cities at the end of July; on Tuesday 21 July 2009 they will march through York and Harrogate, and on Thursday 23 July 2009 they will parade in Hull and Beverley.

They will complete their Yorkshire homecoming with a parade in Leeds city centre on Friday 24 July 2009.

U.S. Combat Troops on Pace to Leave Iraqi Cities by June 30

American combat troops are on pace to leave Iraqi cities by the June 30 deadline stipulated by the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, U.S. officials in Baghdad said yesterday.

Army Brig. Gen. Keith Walker, commander of the Iraq Assistance Group, said in a news conference that security throughout the country has continued to improve.

The security agreement calls for all coalition combat forces to be out of the cities by the end of the month. “We will adhere to the security agreement,” Walker said. “So, all combat forces will be out of the cities unless there is a specific invitation from the government of Iraq.”

U.S. forces will be available in advisory roles and to provide enabler capabilities, the general said.

In 2007, there was an average of 900 attacks per week. In 2008, that number dropped to 200 attacks per week. In 22 of the 26 weeks this year, fewer than 100 attacks have taken place per week nationwide, Walker said.

This improvement in security happened as the number of U.S. forces in Iraq declined by more than 20 percent from the height of the surge. “We have returned over 100 bases to Iraq since October,” the general said. “The provisions of the security agreement make our partnership with Iraqi forces that much more important.”

Today, Iraqi security forces conduct all operations. Coalition forces participate only with Iraqi concurrence. The coalition-Iraqi partnership “is characterized by combined planning, preparation and execution with Iraqi security forces in the lead,” he said. “It is enabled by a close working relationship and the collocation of partnership units and transition teams.”

The partnership’s coalition units help the Iraqi units with enablers, logistics and to ensure situational awareness between Iraqi forces and coalition forces.

Coalition transition units are now shifting attention to beefing up Iraqi command and control capabilities, sustainment and enabler units. “We have reached the point where partnership units are the core of what Multinational Corps Iraq does,” Walker said.

The corps will take over the partnership chores from the Iraq Assistance Group. “It no longer makes sense to have two organizations doing the same thing,” Walker said, so the mission of the group is folding into the corps.

Multinational Corps Iraq will handle the military and police transition teams and training for Iraqi forces in addition to operational responsibilities. The Iraqi Assistance Group will case its colors June 3.

Even once the U.S. units move out of the cities, they will remain associated with their Iraqi partners, Walker said. “They’ll have to drive a bit more, but they will be available,” he said.

The security agreement covers the entire country, so coalition forces will move out of areas such as Mosul, which have been fairly hot in the past months, the general said.

More than 600,000 Iraqis serve in the country’s security forces.

Logistic soldiers ship out equipment from Iraq

The operation to remove all UK vehicles and equipment from Iraq continues, with this week seeing a massive haul being shipped out of Kuwait to be returned home.

The civilian roll-on/roll-off cargo ship MV (Motor Vessel) Eddystone left Shuaiba Port on Monday, 25 May 2009, carrying everything from quad bikes to armoured vehicles and helicopters. The ship is bound for Marchwood military port in Southampton.

As the responsibility of the Joint Force Logistics Component (JFLOGC), transporting all kit destined for re-use by the Armed Forces is in full swing as UK combat operations in Iraq have come to an end.

JFLOGC is a deployable headquarters, currently stationed in Kuwait. It is responsible for co-ordinating the efforts of around 1,300 personnel working in Iraq and Kuwait to recover six-years-worth of accumulated equipment and send it home in good order.

Soldiers from the Royal Logistic Corps' 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, based at Marchwood, have been in Kuwait for nearly a month loading a series of massive cargo vessels permanently leased by the Ministry of Defence, one of which is MV Eddystone.

Major Darren Osborne, from the JFLOGC, said:

"By the time the equipment gets to us it's already been inspected and repaired where possible. This has been a well thought out operation, seven months in the planning, and it's far in advance of any other operation I've been in.

"Everything's going back in better order than it would, with minor faults identified and repaired if possible, and can go through the refurbishment process if needed."

A new database has been created to determine exactly where up to 20,000 different types of stores will be distributed around depots in the UK and Germany and in what state it should leave Iraq.

Inspections are identifying faults which can be repaired before kit leaves Kuwait, saving time and making it available sooner to troops. A record of all documentation, including inspection records for every piece of kit, will also be kept as a full audit trail.

MV Eddystone will be arriving in the UK in June 2009 where its cargo, including Mastiff armoured personnel carriers and four Lynx helicopters, will be unloaded by the same soldiers who loaded it on.

The ship's master, Captain Paul Hamlin, said:

"The process has gone remarkably well, particularly the quality of work and support from the loading troops who have done a very good job."


The ship's crew is all-British and are sponsored naval reservists, which means they can be required to serve in war zones.

This is the seventh visit so far of a roll-on/roll-off vessel during the UK withdrawal from Iraq and several more visits are expected before the end of June.

The British Army has finished combat operations in Iraq and the military are currently bringing their personnel, kit and equipment home although some personnel, notably from the Navy, may be staying on to train their Iraqi counterparts.

We missed you so much daddy - The Daily Express

SISTERS Lauren and Megan Cooke cannot contain their joy as they welcome their father Sergeant Richard Cooke home from Iraq.

Sgt Cooke, from Swansea, was part of 15 Squadron RAF Regiment which returned to Honington in Suffolk yesterday.

They were among the final frontline troops to leave Basra.

Lauren, five, and Megan, nine, were joined by their mother Sue, 40, and clutched banners saying “Welcome home Daddy” and “We missed you”.

Mrs Cooke said: “I had a bit of a tear when I saw him. The children have been so excited.”

Sgt Cooke said Iraqis exchanged gifts with troops on their last patrol. “We gave them duvets and they gave us rings,” he said.

You did it, dad! - The Sun

LITTLE Thomas Berryman, four, waves as dad Chris hoists him on his shoulders as 15 Squadron RAF Regiment returns home from Iraq.

Sq Ldr Chris, 40, was one of 40 personnel greeted by family and a piper at RAF Honington, Suffolk, last night. They are among the last UK frontline troops to return.

Chris said: “I am pleased we’ve left Iraq a much better place than it was six years ago.”

Corporal Chris Smyth, 26, hugged his five-month son Ethan and wife Sarah, 28.

Emotional return for Iraq troops - EDP

FAMILIES gathered last night for an emotional reunion with the last of the British combat forces to arrive back from Iraq.

The gunners of 15 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, which is based at RAF Honington, near Bury St Edmunds, had been part of the RAF's force protection wing at Basra airport.

Yesterday, having flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, 37 gunners made the final leg of their journey home to Suffolk.

As they stepped off their white coach onto the tarmac at the Suffolk airbase they were applauded by family members, friends, defence minister Quentin Davies and fellow military personnel from 1st Battalion the Royal Tank Regiment, who are also based at RAF Honington and who arrived back just a few days ago.

For 26-year-old Corporal Chris Smyth, arriving home had added poignancy because it was the first time he had seen his son Ethan in the flesh since he was just seven weeks old.

“It is tough,” said Cpl Smyth. “But we've got a job to do. Seeing Ethan is fantastic - I have been sent pictures pretty much every day.”

His wife, Sarah, 28, said: “Having him back home is really fantastic and exciting and a relief.”

That excitement was shared by Megan and Lauren Cooke, aged five and nine respectively, who made small banners to welcome home their father Sgt Rich Cooke.

Sgt Cooke said: “It is brilliant to see the girls - it has been a long way home. Being out in Iraq was the end of a task for the British. The villagers were really sad to see us go and they gave us presents to say thanks for everything we have done. We can't believe we were the last few back.”

Megan Cooke told how she had delayed having her fifth birthday party so that her father could join them.

Describing life while her husband was on tour, Sue Cooke said despite this being Sgt Cooke's third tour in Iraq it “doesn't get any easier for the family”.

Squadron Leader Chris Berryman, 40, said: “This has been hard work in a hard environment with very real threats. I am pleased to say that every one of my team has lived up to the challenge, they have responded to this most difficult of jobs as I would expect of any member of the RAF Regiment: with vigour, enthusiasm and a determination to see the task to the very end with total professionalism.”

The US military has now taken over the running of Basra airbase, where 12 members of 15 Squadron RAF Regiment remain in order to ensure the safe withdrawal of UK kit and equipment from Iraq.

British soldiers back from Iraq - BBC

Click here for the BBC video report http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8071017.stm


The last British combat forces to leave Basra in Iraq have arrived in the UK to be reunited with their families.

RAF Regiment conducts the last British patrol in Basra

24 May 2009: Soldiers of the RAF Regiment's 15 Squadron prepare for and conduct the final British patrol in Basra.

15 Sqn RAF Regiment return hom from Iraq having done last British patrol

The Force Protection of the Contingency Operating Base, or COB, at Basra International Airport has – from the initial operation to occupy the country – been the responsibility of the Royal Air Force, delivered by Force Protection Wings which deploy for 6 month tours.

The final Force Protection Wing to deploy, commanded by Wing Commander Simeon Sharples (42) from Louth, recently handed over their responsibility for protecting the base to American Forces. The US have taken over the COB at the airport which includes a number of remaining UK personnel who are tasked with ensuring a safe and ordered withdrawal of all UK forces’ kit and equipment from Southern Iraq.

“I am immensely proud to be here as our mission in Iraq draws to a close and we prepare to leave,” commented Simeon, who was also in Iraq at the outset of hostilities in 2003.

Since their arrival, the RAF Regiment and other elements of the Force Protection Wing have been instrumental in fostering relations with the Iraqi people in their patrol area. Now Simeon sees that the tribal infighting of 2003 has given way to co-operation between tribes and families as Iraqis pursue new economic opportunities unavailable under Saddam’s regime.

As his troops prepared for their final patrol a few days ago, Simeon said: “I regularly visit village leaders and over time we have developed genuine trusting relationships. To me, the proof that Iraq is changing for the better is that these days my guys can go out and work alongside the Iraqi police and Army and help develop something close to a normal policing role.”

He added: “I see great potential for this country and I find the fact that my guys have had a significant hand in helping achieve that – alongside our colleagues from all three services - immensely satisfying”.

At the forefront of the Force Protection Wing’s activities are the RAF Regiment Squadrons who have rotated through the COB in 6 month tours. This week sees the return of 15 Squadron to the UK commanded by Squadron Leader Chris Berryman, (40) from RAF Honington, who is completing his third tour in Iraq. He deployed with 115 RAF personnel from his squadron to Iraq in early February.

“This has been hard work in a hard environment with very real threats”, he said as the last patrol carried out their weapon checks. “I am pleased to say that every one of my team has lived up to the challenge, they have responded to this most difficult of jobs as I would expect of any member of the RAF Regiment: with vigour, enthusiasm and a determination to see the task to the very end with total professionalism”.

Reflecting on his tour he said: “Our Regimental history has been linked with Iraq since 1922 when 3 RAF Armoured Car Company was formed at Basra. The Iraqi people have been our friend for a long time and I like to think that we have now invested in their future”.

However there has been a price to pay for the rewards of the RAF Regiment. Four of their gunners have been killed on operations in Iraq, three during one rocket attack in July 2007. In its time the Wing has responded to many incidents ranging from intruders to the airfield to combating insurgent rocket teams targeting the airfield, who launched over 220 attacks on the base during one three month period in 2007.

The sad loss of Leading Aircraftsman Martin Beard from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment during a battle with insurgents marked a low point in the history of the RAF Regiment; however the bravery of the Squadron members under fire was recognised when Corporal Dave Hayden was awarded the Military Cross for his acts of selfless bravery during the fierce battle. Other Squadron members were awarded honourable mentions for their activities on that day.

This weeks final patrol was led by Flying Officer Jon Giffin (26) from Gloucester. He estimates that this is the last of over 5,000 combat patrols that the Wing have conducted in the past six years. His ten man patrol equipped with both agile Weapons Mount Installation Kit or ‘WMIK’ and the more robust Mastiff patrolled into the small hours of the morning covering ground that so many of his colleagues have grown to know intimately over the past six years. Whilst theirs were the last combat UK boots on the ground in Basra, there is still much work to be done by the many troops remaining in Iraq.

15 Squadron’s vehicles, kit and equipment must now be prepared for an ordered return to UK with hundreds of tons of similar military hardware. This job has fallen to the Joint Force Logistic Command. They will remain in Iraq until every item on the Iraq military inventory, from Chapsticks to Challenger tanks, are cleaned, checked, fixed, packed and properly accounted for and then shipped to their next shelf, camp or warehouse ready for use again.

The patrol was welcomed in by Royal Marines Brigadier Paul Stearns the Commander of British Forces in Iraq. “It gives me great pleasure to see our combat role come to an end” he said “The RAF Regiment have provided a pivotal function here in Basra, they have afforded us and the local population the peace of mind that we are safe going about our business in and around the base.” he added. “We can now look forward to a new relationship with the Iraqi people, one of close co-operation in terms of economics, culture, commerce, defence and development. Without the efforts of the Force Protection Wing and all the three services’ personnel who have served in Iraq over the past six years, this would not be possible”.

On behalf of the RAF Force Protection and RAF Regiment capability at headquarters Air Command, Group Captain Andy Hall said: “This is time to reflect on the considerable commitment that our people and families have made over the years in Iraq, their professionalism, grit and determination. Our thoughts especially go out to those who have died whilst serving on this operation, they will always be remembered.

“The return of our final combat troops from Iraq marks another important phase in our very proud history. The men of the RAF Regiment have risked their lives daily over the past six years, so that our other servicemen and women can go about their missions as safely as possible. It is a great testament to their efforts that the lives of the local people have improved through the security that has been provided, along with projects to enhance their way of life, education and agriculture – this is, after all, why we came to Iraq in the first place. This is an honourable end state and the RAF Regiment should be proud of its legacy in Iraq and the immense capability that it has to offer.”

RAF Hercules - one of the last to leave Iraq

As the drawdown in Iraq gathers pace, RAF Hercules aircraft and their crews will be the last to fly out of the region later this year.

Having been the mainstay of operations since May 2003, the aircraft are helping transport more than 4,000 troops and their kit back to the UK.

24, 30, 47 and 70 Squadrons based at RAF Lyneham have all been deployed to Iraq over the last six years, with the first two squadrons using the 'J' variant of the C130, spending the most time in Basra and the Middle East.

A permanent deployment of engineers, ground crew and air crew (made up from all four squadrons) has been working through freezing conditions, sand storms and intense heat in Iraq since the beginning.

Bedworth soldier to end tour of duty in Iraq

A SERVICEMAN from Bedworth who was with the first British invasion force into Iraq six years ago will now feature in the final withdrawal from the country this summer.

Sgt Jason Griffiths, an RAF gunner, is currently deployed at the Contingency Operating Base just outside Basra, helping to provide critical security to the multi-national military.

The 40-year-old former Ash Green pupil - know as “Griff” to his colleagues - was initially deployed to Kuwait with the collation forces and in January 2003, when the invasion first took place, he moved to the port of Umm Qasr and ended his first six months in Iraq being stationed in Basra.

“I was the Junior Non Commissioned Officer in charge of the Combined Incident Team responsible for providing protection for RAF Helicopters as the British Forces advanced north from Kuwait,” said Sgt Griffiths.

“I have really enjoyed working in Basra. Interacting with the local Iraqi population, in and around the surrounding area, has been one of the best parts of the job.”

After joining the RAF in1986, Sgt Griffiths has had various roles, including jungle operations in Belize, desert deployments in Afghanistan and active service in Germany and Cyprus.

At home, he is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire - and, as an avid Coventry City supporter, always looks forward to watching his team in action at the Ricoh.

Turkey responds to thirsting Iraq

Turkey will release more water from its dams along the Euphrates in order to help its neighbor Iraq, which is facing drought. An Iraqi delegation appeals for help, drawing attention to the plight of local farmers. In response, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu says Turkey will allow as much water as possible to flow into neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Following Iraqi complaints, Turkey yesterday confirmed that it had opened dams on the Euphrates to allow more water to flow into Iraq to help the neighboring country cope with drought.

"We know the situation is worsening in Iraq due to the drought. Necessary measures are being taken to increase the quantity of water," a foreign ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

An Iraqi delegation led by Saleh al-Mutlaq, leader of a Sunni-Arab bloc in parliament, held meetings with President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to request the release of more water from the Euphrates, the region’s largest river. According to diplomatic sources, al-Mutlaq informed Turkish leaders on the impact of the drought. "The Iraqi farmers were in a very difficult situation," he said.

Two days after the delegation’s meetings in Ankara, the issue was also discussed yesterday in Damascus between the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iraq, Ahmet Davutoğlu and Hosyhar Zebari. "We had a wet fall. Especially in the last 15 days. We’ll give as much water as possible to our Iraqi and Syrian friends," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters..

"We understand the difficulties of the farmers in Basra. Their difficulties are our difficulties. Their future is our future. The expectations of the farmers in Iraq and Syria are equally important for us," Davutoğlu said.


For his part, Zebari said that Iraqi agriculture needed more water, adding: "Turkey has made an important decision on the water. Water flow will be provided soon. A good amount of water from Turkey’s Euphrates will meet a great amount of Iraq and Syria’s needs."

The regions’ two main water sources, the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, start in Turkey and pass through Syria and Iraq. As downstream countries, Iraq and Syria criticize Turkey for not allowing enough water to flow into their territories. As relations between the three countries were improved in recent years, the tone of criticism softened but never fully ceased due to growing drought in the region.

50 percent increase

According to Iraqi officials, Turkey has increased the flow of water by 130 cubic meters per second, making the flow of water to Iraq 360 cubic meters, up from 230 cubic meters. Turkey gives 500 cubic meters of water to Syria upon an agreement signed between the two countries in 1987. Both Iraq and Syria want Turkey to increase that quantity to 700 cubic meters per second.

Iraq's parliament voted last week to force the government to demand a greater share of water resources from neighbors upstream of its vital rivers, Turkey, Iran and Syria, turning up the heat on long-running disputes. They agreed to block anything signed with the nations that did not include a clause granting Iraq a fairer share of water.

FOREIGN MINISTRY’S THREE-PART PLAN FOR TWO RIVERS

A memo posted on the Foreign Ministry’s official Web site indicated Turkey’s official position and proposal for an overall solution to the problem, saying: "The problems of the Euphrates and Tigris basin are not going to go away. Turkey, Syria and Iraq will always be neighbors and the two great rivers will always flow through them." Accordingly, Turkey designed a three-staged plan for the equitable use of the trans-boundary watercourses of the Euphrates-Tigris basin on the grounds that the two rivers actually formed a single basin.

The first stage aims to compile an inventory of water resources, covering the whole range of available data on the rivers and their water, including evaporation, temperature and rainfall levels. Compiling an inventory for the land resources is the second stage, to find out water requirements for each country. In the third and final stage, potential methods of irrigation would be established in the light of an analysis of water and land resources.

Hopes pinned to Iraqi police as U.S. trainers get ready to exit Basra

The 100 men and women with the Army’s 793rd Military Police Battalion’s headquarters unit have been in Iraq so long they’ve seen units arrive, serve their 12 months, and return home.

Finally, with less than a month to go on one of the Army’s last 15-month tours, the military police are headed back to Bamberg, Germany — "to the hefeweizen (wheat beer)," as one soldier said Saturday.

The unit has spent the last months of their tour working with the Iraqi police in Basra, who are on a 15-month journey of their own.

In March 2008, about the same time the 793rd arrived in Baghdad, the Iraqi army swept through Basra and cleaned out the Shiite-backed militias who waged much of the violence in the area.

During the campaign, some Basra police either joined the militias or abandoned their posts, according to Marine 1st Lt. Mike Masters, the intelligence officer for an Iraqi army training unit inside Basra.

Now the police must try to clean up that bad reputation. The locally-hired police must also prove their worth to the Iraqi army, who are outsiders but remain the dominate law enforcement authority in the city and province, Masters said from his unit’s operation headquarters at Naval Base, a U.S. outpost next to an Iraqi Army base in the city.

The military police units are preparing the police to take over in Basra, one of Iraq’s most populated cities, according to Lt. Col. Mike Blahovec, the 793rd’s battalion commander.

"It’s an important police force, on par with Baghdad," Blahovec said last week during an interview in his office at COB Basra. "The difference here [with the situation in Baghdad] is the partnership is new."

In December, the battalion and its attached companies — 900 military police in all — were among the first U.S. troops to move to Basra to begin the transition from British to U.S. military.

Since then, those police split into about 30 U.S. military police transition teams, called PiTTs. Those teams moved in with Iraqi police around the province, which holds 1.8 million people and the country’s second-largest city.

Currently there are about 20,000 Iraqi police in Basra province, though about 10 percent have yet to go through basic training, which is about average. Iraq is bringing large blocks of recruits in before running them through a training class, according to Army Capt. Jay Cash, a 793rd member and the intelligence officer for the police training team working with the provincial-level police in Basra.

Internally, the Iraqi police’s biggest obstacle remains their supply chain, a common problem in police units throughout the country, Blahovec and others said. Partly that’s a funding problem at the very top of government, they said.

But it’s also partly cultural.

Iraqis tend to look at a successful supply chain as one with a closet full of goods rather than one with a series of empty shelves, even if the materials are simply being used, at smaller stations or among officers, Masters said. To complicate things, it’s a sign of weakness for an Iraqi commander to ask for supplies, the Marine said.

"Just getting them to submit the forms is hard," he said.

Blahovec has similar concerns. But he said the police training teams are making progress in other ways. He also said the U.S. teams have adjusted the way they measure success.

"It’s a subjective assessment you make," he said Thursday. "Are they are at work? In uniform? Are they willing to get out into the community? How are they responding to crimes?"

Some things are more black and white. Last week, the battalion shared one of its "watch lists" of suspected criminals with the No. 2 Iraqi police chief in the province. The general promised to hand over similar information from his troops in the future.

Earlier this month, the top police chief in Basra survived an assassination attempt outside his home. A police lieutenant colonel was not as lucky and died last weekend in an attack.

"The police get targeted just as much as coalition forces," Cash said.

Blahovec said goal is to prepare the Iraqi police to secure Basra without the help of the Iraqi Army.

"At some point the Iraqis will pull the army out of the city," Blahovec said. "Then the police will be the only game in town."

That point may come sooner than the Americans, or the Iraqi army, want. Rumors are that the newly elected Basra officials want the Iraqi army gone as soon as possible, according to Masters.

"We’ve been told that it’s coming down," Masters said. "The [Iraqi police] can’t handle it yet."

Soldiers receive Iraq medals

THEY were among the last British soldiers to serve in Iraq.

And now a group of Notts combat engineers – including a number from the Territorial Army – have received medals for their work in the British Army's final stint in Basra.

The Sappers included members of the TA's 73 Engineer Regiment, who served alongside their affiliated Regular Army unit, 35 Engineer Regiment, as part of 20th Armoured Brigade.

The 20th – also called The Iron Fist – was the last combat brigade in Iraq.

This week the men and women of the 35 and the 73 became the first members of The Iron Fist to receive their campaign medals.

"It was really good to be on the last tour, definitely," said Sapper Stacey Devine-Bradbury.

When she's not fulfilling her TA duties she works as a legal secretary in Mansfield.

"It's going to be really strange just sitting behind my desk. Christmas was spent on the roof of a police station in Basra city where we were upgrading the building."

Lyndsey Dove, from Mansfield, was promoted to Lance Corporal during her time in Iraq. During part of her time there her husband, who is also in the TA, was serving in Afghanistan.

"It's nice to be able to say I was there at the very end. It's an achievement and I'm glad to have done it," she said.

Corporal Dougie Douglas, a lorry driver with Dairy Crest in Nottingham, has completed his second tour of Iraq and he saw a country that was getting better.

"There's been a lot of improvement," he said. "I think overall the British Army has done an excellent job. I was proud to be a member of the team."

The Commanding Officer of 73 Engineering Regiment Lt Col Alex Hilton had flown from Nottingham to present the medals to the TA soldiers.

"I'm delighted they've all come back safe and sound," he said.

"But I'm particularly pleased and very grateful to 35 who have, as far as I can see, integrated them wonderfully and made them feel part of the team.

"It's the future for the TA, closer and closer integration with the Regular units, and it seems to have worked a treat here."

Families and other well-wishers attended the medals ceremony in Germany and watched as the troops paraded, accompanied by the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band, in front of the regiment's headquarters.

The TA soldiers will now enjoy a couple of months off before returning to their civilian jobs.

21 wanted men nabbed in Basra

Police forces on Thursday arrested 21 wanted men and seized dozens of unlicensed vehicles during security operations in Basra, the Basra police’s information office said.

“Policemen on Thursday (May 21) waged crackdown operations in separate areas of Basra, during which 21 wanted men were arrested and 30 unlicensed vehicles and 17 motorcycles were seized,” the office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.