basra Archives - Gethin Chamberlain

In this cat and mouse war, the sniper is king 0

March 31, 2003

Gethin Chamberlain of The Scotsman, with the Black Watch near Basra, 31 March 2003 THE tank crew spotted them first; four men in civilian clothes jumping out of a pickup truck in the centre of Zubayr. One had a rocket- propelled grenade launcher. Corporal Mark Harvey was the first of the accompanying snipers to react, dropping

Colonel dons a tam-o’-shanter and leads his troops on a friendly foray into town 0

NEWS

April 2, 2003

The Black Watch’s commanding officer shuns armour to find out the views of Iraqis on the streets of Zubayr. Gethin Chamberlain, in Iraq, for The Daily Telegraph, 2 April 2003. TAM-o’-shanter perched atop his head, pistol secured in its holster on his belt, steel-rimmed glasses pushed back on to the bridge of his nose, Lt Col

Home thoughts that hurt as the black snow falls 0

NEWS

March 31, 2003

Gethin Chamberlain of The Scotsman, with the Black Watch on the outskirts of Basra, Iraq. For the BBC, 31 March 2003 When the soldiers awoke it was everywhere; the oily cinders coating every surface, falling like tiny flakes of black snow.On their sleeping bags, on their skin, in their hair, breathing it in, impossible to brush

Resistance crumbles as British troops make a decisive push 0

IRAQ

April 7, 2003

Iraqis point out fedayeen hiding spots to British troops Gethin Chamberlain, in Basra, for The Scotsman, 7 April 2003 THE Iraqis were hiding in a bunker at the side of the road when the tanks first spotted them. There were four of them, waiting at a crossroads in the Al Hadi area of Basra, slotting

Name of al-Sadr hangs over uneasy south 0

Gethin Chamberlain, in Basra, for The Scotsman, 17 April 2004 ODAY al-Dibaj clasps the bars of his prison cell, his hair cropped close to his head, his beard neatly trimmed. He speaks fast, and passionately. The people love Muqtada al-Sadr, Dibaj says, because Sadr loves his country and supports all the good people in Iraq.

The soldiers who fear they are fighting a forgotten war 0
- IRAQ, MIDDLE EAST, NEWS, WORLD
- April 20, 2004
Gethin Chamberlain in Az Zubayr, Iraq, for The Scotsman, 20 April 2004 IN THE darkness by the side of the road, Robert Grieve’s Land Rover rolled over and over, bullets ripping through it and out the other side. The rocket-propelled grenade had hit the tyre and bounced off, but the force of the blast had
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Firepower and fear rule on the road to Basra 0
- IRAQ, MIDDLE EAST, NEWS, WORLD
- April 20, 2004
Iraq’s south, once safe, is now fraught with peril for troops Gethin Chamberlain, in Basra, for The Scotsman, 20 April 2004. “ALI Baba,” said the man standing at the checkpoint, drawing his finger across his throat and gesturing to the road ahead. “Ali Baba,” he said, his arms stretched out towards the soldiers imploringly. In Iraq,
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Post-election Iraq is calm, but will it last? Wait and see…0
- IRAQ
- February 5, 2005
By Gethin Chamberlain in Basra for The Scotsman, 5 February 2005 MY NAME? My name is Hanif Masoor, he says. He is smartly dressed, his dark blue jacket bearing the word Security picked out in yellow thread in English and Arabic. It is pitch black in the countryside on the southern edge of Basra, the
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Baptism of fire in the streets of Az Zubayr 0
- FEATURES, IRAQ, MIDDLE EAST, WORLD
- March 9, 2004
Gethin Chamberlain, for The Scotsman, 9 March 2004 “SARGE! Sarge!” The tugging on Sgt Euan McGilp’s arm was insistent. “Sarge! Sarge!” McGilp, ducking to avoid the bullets zipping overhead and attempting to keep his head below the level of his Warrior, ignored the hand grasping the fabric of his sleeve. “Sarge! Sarge!” Scott Henderson’s voice
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