Gen Richard Shirreff, who commanded the British forces in Basra, recalls the low point of his tour of the city, when a stand-off occurred at the airport with local politicians on the province’s security committee as he pleaded with them to join him on a flight to Baghdad.
An officer who had cut his military teeth in late-1970s Belfast and would go on to serve as deputy supreme commander of Nato, Gen Shirreff had arrived in Basra in mid-2006 appalled at the challenge he faced to keep order. Three years after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, Basra had oil but roads were wrecked, and water and electricity were scarce. Sewage – or worse – filled its canals.
“A city of 1.3 million people was very much in the hands of a militia,” he recalled a few days before the 20th anniversary of the invasion.
Local representatives, some of whom were close to the militias, did not want to facilitate Gen Shirreff’s forthcoming offensive for the city. Then prime minister Nouri Al Maliki had final say on the plan. The Iraqi leader did veto the plan at the meeting, known as Operation Sinbad, named after a mythical son of the city, but he relented when it was presented as a reconstruction initiative.
The term occupation for the US-led coalition mission is loaded with the idea that a heavy military presence should keep control. Gen Shirreff found a different situation. “In Basra, the troop levels on the streets or the ability to put troops on the streets was minimal,” he told me. “Absolutely minimal. And the result was that every movement we made around the city became an operation in its own right and usually led to some sort of fighting. And it brought home the extent to which there was no clarity of strategy about what the British effort was all about.”
At the time, Britain was focused on transferring the city to local Iraqi control. To Gen Shirreff, this was impossible if the troops on the group could not grip its challenges.
While the junior partner in Iraq, the problems faced by the UK in Basra were the same issues facing the US elsewhere.
After witnessing the first demonstrations against the already beleaguered British administrators in the summer of 2003, it was clear to me during my time reporting there that without the basics, such as electricity and jobs, the city could not be won over. Iran was already a factor then. Briefings from the UK side put blame on problems posed by smuggling, especially of fuel for generators and the electricity plant. This very quickly escalated into an Iran-backed insurgency complete with a deadly arsenal of shaped-charge roadside bombs and kidnapping on an industrial scale.
When I visited again during a brief lull in 2008, Anas Mohammad, the owner of the Hamdan restaurant, did not so much blame the British as see the struggle for control of Basra as a three-sided issue: the frustration at the conditions, the Iranian-supported groups and the unwillingness of the locals to ensure their own security.
"I do not blame the situation in the last years on Britain,” Mr Mohammad said. “They could not fight the militias without Iraqi help, but now there are police and army everywhere and the British are helping them. With God's help, things will become better."
Two years earlier, Gen Shirreff had grappled with the problem at its height. On the ground, there was immense gap between the coalition’s stated goals and the army’s limited footprint.
“What was extraordinary was [even though] the British army had by 2006 been [in Iraq] for three years, but it really didn't have a feel for the ground,” he said. “Up against that was the Provincial Council, which was firmly in the grip of the militia. And they didn't want their heartland to be lost. So it all came to a head.”
The moment of greatest danger was when 1,000 British troops surrounded Basra’s Jamiat Police station and blew it up with a cargo of anti-tank mines in the last week of 2006.
Three years later, the British withdrew from Basra and despite some setbacks, the city has gradually got back on its feet. The current US National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, was last week asked about the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war, in response to which he cited some recent events in the city. “Iraq hosted a climate conference in Basra and recently hosted, I was sure everybody knows this; they hosted the Gulf Cup soccer tournament,” Mr Kirby said.
The world has moved on, too, and the Ukraine conflict has recast thinking about future wars. Gen Shirreff looks back at the Iraq war as a failure of strategy that was a product of a divided government in London. These splits were replicated on the ground in Iraq. The wider US coalition was also dogged by division. “With the benefit of 20 years’ hindsight, I wonder if it was ever possible [to succeed in Iraq],” he said. “I can’t see how any western coalition countries would have invested the effort required to establish a genuine lasting peace. It was seen as an occupation force. The coalition did not help itself by not thinking through what was required.”
As one of the first senior military figures to call for a rearmament of Nato, Gen Shirreff sees countries such as the UK having continuing responsibility to help fragile states, even as the focus shifts from the era of counter-insurgency to the threat of major state warfare.
He worries politicians took the wrong lessons when the priority was pulling back from Iraq and Afghanistan. “Our warfighting capability has effectively been dismantled,” he adds. “I think the Iraq and Afghan campaigns has led to a reluctance to use force on land.
“Major state-on-state warfare requires really significant formations of troops on the ground – and to resource them, at a minimum, putting ourselves on war economy footing.”
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zayed Sustainability Prize
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)
AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)
Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)
Roma v Brescia (6pm)
Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)
Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)
Monday
SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)
More on Quran memorisation:
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
