Hundreds of commandos from the Royal Marines launched
                    the battle for Basra yesterday in a ferocious 15-hour
                    assault on fortified Iraqi positions in a south-eastern
                    suburb.
 

                         A soldier treads warily through streets destroyed by
                          retreating troops in Mushifij, south-west of Basra
 

                    The engagement, which included a series of street battles,
                    marked the first attempt to take control of part of the
                    strategic city from Saddam Hussein's forces and ignite an
                    uprising by its large anti-Saddam majority. A Marine was
                    killed in separate fighting on the Basra canal.

                    Three Americans were killed and one injured when a US
                    Marine UH1 Huey helicopter crashed on take-off at a
                    refuelling point in southern Iraq.

                    By nightfall about 600 men from 40 Commando had taken
                    up what was described as a "consolidation position" in the
                    Basra suburb of Abu al Khasib and were planning to press
                    on today towards the Shatt al Arab waterway.

                    They suffered an unknown number of injuries, some
                    serious. At least seven were badly wounded by artillery
                    fire believed to have come from their own lines. About
                    300 enemy prisoners were taken and a number of Iraqi
                    tanks, troop carriers and bunkers destroyed.

                    The attack was the first all-out assault by a full
                    commando since the Falklands conflict in 1982. It was
                    designed to demonstrate that allied forces were serious
                    about taking the city but officers said yesterday's action
                    was limited to the suburb, and was not necessarily a
                    precursor to an all-out attack on the city centre.

                    While British forces have raided Basra in Warrior
                    armoured vehicles over the past few days, the Royal
                    Marines' infantry assault was aimed at seizing territory.

                    Brig Jim Dutton, the commander of 3 Commando Brigade,
                    said: "The planning assumption had always been that the
                    advancing coalition forces would simply sweep past Basra
                    and it would implode. It became apparent to me that we
                    could do more than that - to get the message across that
                    we can go in there and get rid of the regime. It could
                    have a remarkable effect on the rest of the city."

                    Under the codename Operation James, Alpha, Bravo and
                    Delta rifle companies, each of more than 120 men,
                    advanced on foot at first light along a wide front to try to
                    trap Iraqi forces up against the Shatt al Arab waterway.

                    They were backed by Challenger 2 tanks and Scimitar
                    reconnaissance vehicles, while helicopters flew combat
                    patrols and artillery fired barrage after barrage of support
                    fire.

                    AS90 self-propelled howitzers were called in to deal with
                    21 Iraqi vehicles to the north of the Shatt al Arab, some
                    believed to be T55 tanks, which could have provided
                    reinforcements.

                    Allied drones had detected the build-up of armour and
                    after the AS90 barrage they showed images of all 21
                    vehicles either destroyed or badly damaged.

                    As the soldiers from 40 Commando advanced they were
                    engaged time after time by enemy snipers and from
                    bunker positions. At least one Dushka 12.7mm heavy
                    machine gun was reported to have been used against the
                    Marines before it was silenced.

                    Within an hour of Operation James starting, the Marines
                    reported that two senior Iraqi officers had been taken
                    prisoner, four T55 tanks destroyed and at least one
                    bunker blown up.

                    The battle unfolded minute by minute over the radio back
                    at the brigade headquarters at a secret location in
                    southern Iraq as the British troops fought throughout
                    daylight hours to silence enemy military positions.

                    An additional company of men from 42 Commando were
                    flown in by helicopter to help block an escape route for
                    Iraqi troops.

                    Lt Col Gordon Messenger, the commanding officer of 40
                    Commando, reported that the 30,000 civilian population
                    of Abu al Khasib was "generally welcoming".

                    The Marine who died was killed when Iraqis in patrol
                    boats staged a surprise attack on a landing craft on patrol
                    in the Basra canal, 20 miles to the south. Several were
                    wounded.

                    That section of canal was believed to have been secured
                    by allied forces, but the Iraqis fired a rocket-propelled
                    grenade at the craft, setting it on fire.

                    Marines on shore fired at one of the Iraqi boats and sank
                    it. The five crew members, three of them badly injured,
                    were captured.
 

                      30 March 2003: Four miles into Basra, angry Iraqis stare at me in
                      disbelief 

                      30 March 2003: Suicide bomber kills troops as Saddam unleashes
                      'martyrs' 

                      29 March 2003: Isolated Basra still a tough obstacle 

                      28 March 2003: Thousands flee from Basra 

                      27 March 2003: Saddam sends out his tanks 

                      26 March 2003: Bloody uprising in Basra 

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