Under cover of darkness on Christmas Day, soldiers from the Staffordshire Regiment stormed a notorious police station in Basra and freed more than 100 Iraqi prisoners who had been tortured or faced execution.
About 500 Staffordshire Regiment troops swooped on the headquarters of the corrupt Serious Crime Unit in Basra, in one of the biggest operations led by the UK since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The raid, Operation Thyme, came 15 months after one of the regiment, 18-year-old Private Karl Hinett, was petrol bombed following a mission to rescue two SAS troopers who were captured by the now-disbanded police unit and held at the same station.
Speaking from Basra, regiment spokesman Captain Ollie Pile told The Birmingham Post yesterday that many of the regiment were friends of Pte Hinett, and viewed the operation as completing a mission.
"Many would have thought of him when they went back in there. They saw it as unfinished business," he said.
Despite threats of reprisals against the soldiers and criticism by local politicians of the operation, which was sanctioned by the Iraqi prime minister, people had been waving at the soldiers in the street as they drove by to show their gratitude, he said.
"The general vibe from everybody has been very positive. When they drove around people were giving them the thumbs up in the street.
"Locals were telling us we needed to close the police station down and, if anything, wanted us to do it earlier, because it's been a serious problem here in Basra. It has been infiltrated by corrupt elements who used their position for criminal gain.
"They used their authority to intimidate the population and the police force, and we also believe they have been involved in death squads. They were the rotten core within the police service and have been very unpopular amongst the local people in Basra."
His comments came after the head of the elected provincial council made a public statement criticising the raid and threatened to withdraw cooperation from British Forces.
The Army was also braced for reprisals following the raid and the arrest last week of seven high-ranking members of the Serious Crime Unit.
"We do expect a mixture of opinions," said Capt Pile. "There are people who don't want us there, people who do and people in the middle who want independence and want to run their own security, but recognise we have to be here. We don't expect this to be popular with everybody.
"There was a meeting of the provincial council who made a public statement criticising what we have done but the wider council has met today and the feedback has been positive."
A total of 127 prisoners were rescued during the raid on the compound, which was demolished by troops; seven people were killed during the mission. None of the 1,000 British troops was injured.
A Foreign Office spokesman conceded that some elements of the council were unhappy over the actions but said the UK and the Iraqi governments would explain reasons to them.
Military spokesman Charlie Burbridge said more attacks were expected on military personnel.
"Some members of the provincial council held a press conference yesterday where they criticised what we did and how we did it.
"But at the same time the MoD in Baghdad had a similar press conference stating that the provincial council's facts were wrong. We fully expect more attacks on our bases and on Basra stations, but that's nothing out of the ordinary," he said.
"But this is part of a long-term rehabilitation of the Iraqi police service to make it more effective and more accountable, and ultimately provide better security for the people of Basra."
