9.2 | 23
May 2003 to June 2004
837.
Mr Erik
Prince, CEO of Blackwater at the time of the ambush, wrote that the
“entire
assault was
over in seconds. Four men had been betrayed and
ambushed.”461
838.
The burned
bodies of the Blackwater personnel were filmed being
dragged
through the
streets, and hung from a bridge.462
Images of
the incident appeared in the
international
media.
839.
In a written
update for members of the AHMGIR in early April, Cabinet
Office
officials
reported:
“A series
of meetings are underway to communicate the TAL to Iraqis.
Reactions
have been
mixed, but no signs yet of an organised opposition aimed at repeal.
Most
Iraqis
appear more focused on improvements to the economy and everyday
life.”463
840.
Militants
belonging to Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) attacked Coalition Forces in
Baghdad,
Najaf,
Karbala and Kut following the arrest on 3 April of Muqtada
al-Sadr’s senior aide
Mustafa
al-Yaqubi, and the closure on 27 March of one of al-Sadr’s
newspapers.464
841.
Maj Gen
Stewart told the Inquiry that, although the violence in MND(SE) had
been
gradually
increasing during February and March, it was not until April that
JAM was
identified
as a specific threat.465
He recalled
that:
“… it was
like a switch had been flicked. We woke up on the 6th [of April],
there were
35
shootings and attacks in Basra before 0730 in the morning.
Nasiriyah had been
taken over
by the Mahdi army … In al-Amara there were running battles going
on
with the
security forces.”
842.
In early
April, US forces began operations in Fallujah. All routes in and
out of
the city
were blockaded in advance of the launch of an offensive operation,
named
Operation
Vigilant Response, on 6 April.466
843.
Mr Hoon’s
Private Secretary wrote to Mr Blair’s Private Secretary that a
search
operation
to capture the attackers of the Blackwater employees had
begun.467
844.
The same
letter explained that US intentions in relation to Muqtada al-Sadr
and his
supporters
were becoming clearer. The US military had ordered the offensive
operations
against
al-Sadr supporters with “the aim of eliminating them as a credible
force” and
moving into
Najaf after the festival of Arbaeen on 11 April.
461
Prince
E. Civilian
Warriors. The Inside Story of the Unsung Heroes of the War on
Terror. Portfolio/
Penguin,
2013.
462
BBC
News, 31 March
2004, Bodies
mutilated in Iraq attack.
463
Letter Dodd
to Owen, 2 April 2004, ‘Iraq: Update’ attaching Paper ‘Iraq:
update’.
464
JIC
Assessment, 14 April 2004, ‘Iraq Security’.
465
Public
hearing, 9 December 2009, pages 67-68.
466
Sanchez RS
& Phillips DT. Wiser in
Battle: A Soldier’s Story. HarperCollins,
2008.
467
Letter
Baker to Quarry, 8 April 2004, ‘Iraq: Security
Situation’.
343