Global Policy Forum

Coalition forces faced the prospect of streetfighting in Basra Tuesday after meeting fierce resistance on the outskirts as aid agencies warned of a humanitarian crisis in the southern metropolis. Military planners had expected little resistance in the city, pinning their hopes on the Shiite Muslim majority, who have long been repressed by President Saddam Hussein's mainly Sunni regime.

But the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera reported Tuesday that Western warplanes dropped cluster bombs over Basra overnight as intense ground fighting raged on in the city's outskirts. Tommy Franks, the US general directing the assault on Iraq, said over the weekend that allied forces had no plans to enter Basra, preferring instead to deal with the civilian population once Iraqi resistance is overcome.

But British military spokesman Group Captain Al Lockwood said Tuesday that it now looked as if that was no longer an option as the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats, which is spearheading the drive to Basra, continued to face stiff opposition, both at the edges of the city and beyond. "We will probably need to go into Basra and meet any resistance," Lockwood told CNN. British commanders were also considering calling in paratroopers and Royal Marine Commandos to assist the battle for Basra after acknowledging it might be necessary to engage in street combat to secure the city.

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, one of four Desert Rats battle groups, were forced to retreat Monday about 10 miles (15 kilometres) to avoid a potential ambush by Republican Guards, who were reported to be heading out of Basra in civilian clothes in an attempt to kill British troops in a surprise attack. Artillery shells were fired into the city, where 1,000 Iraqi fighters are believed to be sheltering, some using civilian buildings as bases.

The first British soldier to die in combat since the Iraq war began was shot near Basra during attempts to calm rioting Iraqi civilians and died of his wounds on Monday. "We always had the idea that everyone in this area hated Saddam. Clearly, there are a number who don't," British Captain Patrick Trueman said on the outskirts of the city. Al-Jazeera's correspondent in Basra showed what he said was a bomb fragment from a coalition air raid launched at 9.30 pm (1830 GMT) Monday, which he said hit both the east and the west of the city.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Basra's 1.2 million inhabitants face a humanitarian crisis after the fighting around the city cut off power and water supplies. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also voiced his concern over the humanitarian situation, warning that "a city that size cannot afford to go without electricity or water for long. "Apart from the water aspect, you can imagine what it does to sanitation... Urgent measures should be taken to restore water and electricity," he said.

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