Sitting ducks: Iraq insurgents target UK base

Three British servicemen, one a reservist, who were killed last week in a rocket attack on Britain's main base in southern Iraq were named yesterday by the Ministry of Defence. The deaths of Senior Aircraftsmen Matthew Caulwell, Peter McFerran and Christopher Dunsmore last Thursday brought the British toll in Iraq since 2003 to 162.

The loss of three Royal Air Force men in a single incident emphasised the increasing vulnerability of Britain's 5,500 remaining troops in southern Iraq as they are concentrated in one place, the Contingency Operating Base at Basra's airport. It will be Britain's only base in Iraq once Basra Palace, the last outpost within the city, is handed over to Iraqi forces.

But the airport base has come under increasing attack from insurgents as British forces have withdrawn there, with mortars or rockets landing within the perimeter up to 10 times a day. Some troops sleep in "hard accommodation", but the majority are in tents, with breeze-blocks stacked around each bed to contain blasts. The chances of causing casualties are remote, since the base is dispersed across a wide expanse of desert and the insurgents are firing blind from several miles away. But there is virtually no protection from a direct hit.

"It was only a matter of time before this happened, and it will happen again," said an officer who has served in Basra. "If you are on duty when the alert is sounded, you simply have to put on your helmet and body armour, and carry on wherever you are."

The MoD said yesterday that the three members of the RAF Regiment were killed as they were resting between patrols to protect aircraft operating from Basra airport. Their task was to ensure the ground was clear from the threat of militia, who have tried to target the aircraft while they are at their most vulnerable, during take-off and landing.

SAC Caulwell, 22, from Birmingham, joined up in 2002, and had been promoted to acting corporal. Squadron Leader Jason Sutton, commanding officer of the squadron, said: "He was ... a true professional. His lads held him in the utmost respect and instinctively followed his example. Loyal and unfailingly dependable, Matthew had a very bright future in the corps and he will be sorely missed by us."

SAC McFerran, 24, was from Connahs Quay, Flintshire. He had followed his father into the RAF Regiment in 2004, and was the heavy machine gun operator for his unit. Squadron Leader Sutton said: "He demonstrated during training a genuine and natural aptitude for the role, and brought to it the professionalism and ingenuity that characterised all he did."

SAC Dunsmore, 29, from Leicester, was a reservist who had committed himself to a year's service. In civilian life, he was a manager at a paint company. For four years he had also belonged to 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment at RAF Cottesmore, and in August last year was attached to No 1 Squadron.

"Our auxiliary colleagues fill vital roles on the squadron, and none more so than Chris," said Squadron Leader Sutton. "He was a highly skilled individual, and from the very start of his time with us he put 100 per cent into everything he did and was always ready for any challenge."

Since the beginning of June, 13 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, fuelling fears that conditions are becoming more dangerous as the number of troops falls. Des Browne, the Secretary of State for Defence, announced last week that the British force would be cut by a further 500, but any further withdrawals below 5,000 would leave the remaining troops incapable of defending themselves, say military experts.

British commanders, who complain that the Afghanistan and Iraq missions are "overstretching" the Army, would like to close the airport base by the end of the year and pull out all but 1,500 troops, who would carry out training duties at a safe distance from insurgent-held areas. But the authoritative Jane's Defence Weekly reported last week that the British contingent would remain at 5,000 until the end of 2008, with 4 Mechanised Brigade having already been selected for deployment next year.

Any decision to delay the drawdown of forces from Iraq is likely to dismay the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt. According to a leaked memorandum to senior commanders, he said reinforcements for emergencies or operations in Iraq or Afghanistan were "now almost non-existent", and that "we now have almost no capability to react to the unexpected".

General Dannatt said the present situation was "manageable", but he was "concerned about the longer-term implications of the impact of operations on our people, equipment and future operational capacity".

The memo was revealed after service chiefs made their case to the Government for more money in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Last week, the Commons Defence Committee said in a report on Afghanistan, where Britain now has more than 7,000 troops, that Nato has too few forces to defeat the Taliban and that more helicopters are desperately needed.

Further reading: 'Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq', by Rory Stewart (Picador, £8.99)

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