On day 11 of the war in Iraq, several thousand Iraqis citizens of
Basra
fled daily this city under siege by the British Military. Inside the
city
and on the outskirts of Basra, artillery battles between the British
and
pro-Saddam forces continued. Inside the city a humanitarian crisis
developed, with a dramatic lack of fresh water and food. On the outskirts
of the southern edge of the city, the "Desert Rats", members
of the Blackwatch Regiment of the 7th Armored brigade, held checkpoints
leading into the city. They had a double task, checking people for
weapons trying to get back into the city, and directing refugees out.
One could see many donkey carts trying to take vegetables like tomatoes
into the city. There were many signs that the humanitarian crisis
was getting worse. Many people coming and going from the city were
collapsing at checkpoints indicating they were in desperate need of
water. The numbers of people fleeing the city also increased dramatically.
The situation in Basra was one of the critical elements of the war.
