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Iraq (Basra Incident)

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a statement about the tragic crash of the Lynx helicopter in Iraq on Saturday and the immediate aftermath. As the House will be aware, on Saturday 6 May at 1350 hours local time, a Lynx mark 7 helicopter on a routine flight came down in Basra city, crash-landing on the roof of an empty building. Five UK personnel on board the aircraft are missing believed killed: Wing Commander John Coxen; Lieutenant Commander Darren Chapman; Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill; Captain David Dobson, Army Air Corps; and Marine Paul Collins. Their next of kin have been informed. I am sure that the whole House will join me in sending my deepest condolences to their families and friends. I also express my sympathy to the families of all those killed in Iraq over the weekend, including those from coalition forces. I know that there is a natural tendency when such awful events occur to speculate about possible causes. I caution that such speculation is not only unhelpful but can be very distressing to the loved ones of those involved. As is routinely the case in such circumstances, a detailed technical and Royal Military Police investigation is under way. An air accident investigation team is in place, and a full board of inquiry is being conducted. I can, however, confirm at this stage that the helicopter was fitted with a defensive aids suite, as are all our helicopters in Iraq. British Army units in Basra deployed immediately to the scene of the crash and secured the area with the help of the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police service. A crowd swiftly formed on the streets surrounding the crash site, and the House will have seen television coverage of the volatile situation that developed over the next few hours. I am very grateful to the Iraqi authorities for the assistance provided by the Iraqi army and police to bring the situation under control, including the imposition of a curfew by the provincial governor. British troops and Iraqi security forces came under attack with a variety of weapons, including stones, gunfire, petrol and blast bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. It is entirely right that our troops take action to defend themselves in such circumstances. I can confirm that British personnel fired baton rounds and a limited amount of live ammunition. Seven UK personnel were injured as a result of the disturbance. According to the information that I have, none of those injuries was serious. Local reports and our own sources indicate that five Iraqis may have died, and approximately 28 were injured during the civil disorder that followed the crash. The full extent of UK military responsibility for any of those casualties will be clarified in due course, following completion of the post-incident review. In circumstances such as these, such a review is normal. I know that some commentators have concluded that the television footage that we saw on Saturday is evidence that southern Iraq is rising up against the British presence and that we should withdraw all troops immediately. I do not share that assessment, but, more importantly, nor do the commanders on the ground, including Major-General John Cooper in Basra. To put that in its proper context, the disturbances on the ground involved a crowd of 200 to 300 people. Although magnified by the media images we saw, the incident was an isolated incident in a city of around 1.5 million people. Crucially, it was brought under control by the Iraqi security forces themselves in a few hours. Since then, the city has remained calm. That is testament to the commitment and bravery of the Iraqi personnel and to the work that we and other members of the coalition have been doing to train the Iraqis to prepare them for taking on responsibility for the security of their country, where more than 12 million Iraqis showed courage in voting for a new Government. The House will be aware that relations with the Basra provincial council have been difficult over the past eight months or so. Yesterday, the governor of Basra announced a return to full co-operation and dialogue between the council and British forces. Indeed, members of the council expressed their profound regret for the incident and extended their condolences to the families. That reinforces our belief that the majority of the people of Basra want to work with us to develop governance and security in the region. That is not to say we should be complacent—far from it. The crowd on Saturday appears to have included elements that were armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, and were prepared to use them against British forces. Major-General Cooper has confirmed that he is content with the numbers and capability of the troops at his disposal but I assure the House that we keep force levels under constant review. I am also aware that some have called for the Government to set out our exit strategy from Iraq. That strategy has been set out before the House many times, most recently on 13 March by my predecessor, now the Home Secretary. However, let me be clear. We are still committed to remaining in Iraq for as long as we are needed and the Iraqi Government want us to stay, and until the job is done. That job is to assist the Iraqi Government and their security forces to build their capabilities—military and civilian—so that they can take on full responsibility for the security of their country. Achieving that objective is the exit strategy—nothing more, nothing less. Multinational forces continue to train and mentor the Iraqis to develop operating effectiveness. Currently, there are more than 250,000 Iraqis in their security forces, including 115,000 in the Iraqi army. The incident was serious, but, despite that, we can draw some encouragement from the fact that local forces worked with us to restore order on Saturday. I express again my deepest condolences for and sympathy to the families of those killed on Saturday and to the colleagues they leave behind in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force, especially those who continue to serve with such bravery to help the people of Iraq build a secure and stable future for themselves.