The Battle for Hearts & Minds

3:05 pm EST May 6th, 2006 | Politics | 2 Comments

Iraqis Cheer Crash of British Helicopter

A British military helicopter crashed in Basra on Saturday, and Iraqis hurled stones at British troops and set fire to three armored vehicles that rushed to the scene. Clashes broke out between British troops and Shiite militias, police and witnesses said.

Police Capt. Mushtaq Khazim said the helicopter was apparently shot down in a residential district. He said the four-member crew was killed, but British officials would say only that there were “casualties.”

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2 Responses to “The Battle for Hearts & Minds”

  1. bryan says:
    May 7, 2006 at 7:05 am

    Yes, at one time there was a marked difference between Basra and Baghdad and Tikrit. the British seemed to have found the right balance that meant the local populace were ok with them being there. It eroded slowly to this point, unlike the US controlled areas, which seemed to erode more quickly. Perhaps a US caused thing, perhaps that, because the US is running the show, it attracted more insurgents.

  2. buma says:
    May 8, 2006 at 1:05 pm

    But that’s just another example of liberal news spin. Before Saddam was toppled Iraqis would not have cheered a British copter crash. Our policies have given them some hope, something to cheer for.