Basra tent troops 'sitting targets' warns MP

Last updated at 12:54 28 February 2007


Tented accommodation for troops at the British air base in Basra is making them sitting targets for insurgents, the Commons was warned today.

The claim came from Labour's Chris Bryant who recently visited the Iraqi city under the armed forces parliamentary scheme.

He said: "We saw the tented accommodation at Shatt Al Arab Hotel which British troops have been in up until Christmas which has been heavily bombed and where several British troops have died.

"And we saw the new accommodation that they are in, in more secure circumstances, inside the Shatt Al Arab Hotel."

Mr Bryant (Rhondda) said at question time that troops were now being moved from the hotel to the air base.

And he asked Defence Secretary Des Browne: "Do you worry that they are now going to be effectively a sitting target for insurgents and what is going to be done to make sure that we have better Istar support and to make sure we have more secure accommodation rather than just tented accommodation for British troops?"

Istar is a military acronym which stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance equipment.

Mr Browne said all the issues were being "actively pursued".

"The military advice that I have received is that as we concentrate our forces back into the Basra air station it will be easier and we will be better placed to defend our troops."

Mr Browne said there were a number of reasons for this but he could not explain them in public for security reasons.

He instead offered Mr Bryant a private briefing.

And he added: "You can rest assured that all of those observations that you make I have made myself on my visits and the top priority for me as far as our troops and Iraq is concerned is their safety and daily I am involved with the chiefs of staff and others to make sure we are doing everything we can to enhance their protection."

Most watched News videos