On day 9 of the war in Iraq, several thousand Iraqis citizens of Basra were
fleeing daily this city under siege by the British Military. Artillery
battles between the British and pro-Saddam forces continued. Inside the city
a humanitarian crisis was developing, 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. As residents of Basra fled their town,
pro-Saddam militia fired mortar shells in their direction and in the
direction of the British troops. Many of the refugees hit the dirt and took
cover and then fled. Several mortar shells landed within 100 meters of the
refugees.
