Just heard (no link) on the BBC World Service some details about the column that attempted to leave Basra.

• It appears to be the "remnants of the 3rd Brigade, 51st Division".


• It had been "forced out by irregulars who held the families of the officers hostage".


• There was no sign they were surrendering, so they were engaged

A Brigade normally consists of 3-4 Batallions, each of which would have something like 30 Main battle Tanks (MBTs) or infantry-carrying armoured vehicles ( APCs, IFVs), plus dozens of smaller recon,command and air defence armoured vehicles, and hundreds of trucks ("soft skins"). About 3000 men. That's assuming full-strength, but 75% or less is normal in peacetime, often even less in war.

A formation described as "remnants of" might be anything from 5% to 75% of the paper strength. A dozen tanks and a hundred men to perhaps two hundred vehicles, many of them armoured.

Time will tell. Whatever they started with though, they have a lot less now.

UPDATE: The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation ) is now reporting

Coalition forces have destroyed most of a column of Iraqi tanks and armoured personnel carriers trying to leave the southern city of Basra, British military officials say.

The Iraqi convoy of 70 to 120 vehicles was headed south from the surrounded city and thought to be making for the Al Faw Peninsula.

Bang in the middle of the estimated strength. Emphasis on the bang. I feel sorry for the Iraqis who were just trying to save their families, just glad none of our guys were killed too.

UPDATE: Now it's 20, not 120 (Source: The Australian)

Coalition forces destroyed a column of about 20 Iraqi vehicles that tried to slip out of Basra and attack British troops, a British commander said.

Posted By Alan E Brain at March 27, 2003 03:43 AM | TrackBack