Heads held high in exit from Basra

THE Stars and Stripes has flown over Basra for two days. Although "flown" may not exactly be the right word. America's symbol has barely fluttered in the airless 38C Iraqi furnace of a city. It hangs almost as limply as the British regimental colours it replaced.

US forces last week took the place of their British allies at their "contingency operating base" outside Basra; the great port city itself, strictly speaking, having been returned to local control four months ago. Some 3,700 UK soldiers are now finalising preparations for their departure from Iraq, after a conflict that lasted longer than the Second World War.

Britons served in and around Basra for more than six years, ever since more than 40,000 UK soldiers were mobilised to throw out dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. That war was the most controversial waged by a British government in nearly half a century.

But, as the military claimed victory as they handed power over to the Americans, one questioned remained: did Britain leave Basra in a better state than they found it?

Commanders think so. One, speaking earlier this year, suggested Basra was now "safer than Manchester". The two cities and their conurbations, true, do have similar populations, of around 2.5 million. Manchester saw more than 40 murders in its last full year. But, cynics pointed out, women who walk alone without covering up in full are rarely stoned in the north-west of England. The same can't be said of the south-east of Iraq, where many women continue to live in fear of religious zealots. More than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have died in and around Basra during the Iraq conflict.

The formal handover last week was overseen by Britain's Brigadier Tom Beckett. "We have prepared the ground for continued success for our friends and allies," he said. "We leave knowing that Basra is a better place now than it was in 2003."

Opinion on this was divided in the city last week. Foreign reporters said they felt free to wander its streets – something that would have been impossible little more than a year ago when crime gangs and militant religious militias held sway. The BBC's John Simpson, a familiar figure in Basra, yesterday said: "There is one overriding change for the better in Basra." The journalist, one of the few to stay in Baghdad during the first Gulf War in 1990, used his blog to describe a conversation with one Basra woman, who he visited at home. He wrote: "It is still not possible for her to go shopping in the streets of Basra when the evening comes on, unless her husband is with her. A lone woman can be shouted at, insulted, even physically attacked."

Other women said the threats were diminishing. One science student, Yisra Mohammed Al-Rubaiy, said: "Basra was a sad city over the last six years. All you ever heard was that someone who you know was killed. There was a soundtrack of gunshots or clashes and there were so many problems for women. You cannot imagine the numbers of women who were killed. But now we as women can say the greatest part of the threat has gone, and I hope it will never return."

Another female student, Hiba Karim, 21, agreed. She said: "We still have many fears. When I go to college I wear a hijab. I am very scared of extremist parties, but I can learn and study. I hope to get work. Security has improved dramatically here. The real war which targeted women has ended. Our fears still exist but I can say that the women of Basra have finally started to breathe the freedom."

Other Iraqis in recent days have complained of frequent power cuts and continued problems with other basic services. The schools system is under enormous pressure, partly because so many teachers have lost their lives or livelihoods. Education, Basrans stress, is vital. Children now account for half of the city's population and many have nothing to do. Hospitals are gradually being built or rebuilt – including a huge new children's health complex named after Laura Bush, the wife of George W.

Security remains the priority for most Basrans.

One departing British soldier, a senior officer, described the city centre – with restaurants, many serving traditional mint tea – as vibrant as anywhere else in the Middle East. The officer said: "It's pretty normal down there: people going about their business, the nights bustle, people are enjoying themselves, kids are playing in parks. People are concerned about the normal things you'd be concerned by: jobs, the delivery of essential services, their future prosperity."

The main reason business is picking up in Basra is improved security – provided by Iraqi forces. The British always tried to keep a lowish profile, avoiding the kind of confrontational edge seen further north in US-occupied Iraq. They often wore berets – and were banned from wearing sunglasses, which can appear threatening.

But their American allies have privately briefed that the British were soft. And much of the work to clear the militias out of Basra was – rightly, say the British – done by Iraqis themselves. The big difference came with an operation called the Charge of the Knights, which took place in March of last year.

"The Charge of the Knights has given us back our city," one Basran said. "Our lives are immensely better now." Most of the fighting was done by Iraqis, with support from American special forces. But the Iraqis, crucially say UK officials, were British-trained. They effectively took the streets of Basra back from groups like the radical Mahdi Army, a Shi'ite militia.

Paul Moorcraft, a former instructor at Sandhurst, said: "The British Army can take some satisfaction but the British politicians should hang their heads in shame.

"The political direction was as bad then as it is in relation to the economy now.

"Did British troops achieve anything? Is it better in Iraq now? Yes.

"There is a lot of frustration, a lot of lessons to be learned.

"I think the British Army can be quite proud of what it has done but it is not a total success." One former British officer, Dom Pascoe from Cardiff, yesterday said the job was only "half done". He said: "In my heart of hearts, I can't help feeling we've not finished the job.

"We almost drifted into Basra and took it by chance and kind of pottered about not really sure what we were meant to achieve."

Some British armed forces may remain near Basra. The Royal Navy is waiting to hear whether it will keep a unit close to the port city, where it is helping to train Iraqi naval personnel. There were once dozens of nations represented in the coalition. Now, aside from the departing British force, only Americans, Australians and Romanians remain. They too are now looking at their legacy.