Officials said the Iraq Army and security forces also began using its
communications network to direct troops. They said this was the first time
that Iraqi security forces relied on their own communications, rather than
those of the United States.
The Defense Ministry has assessed that Iraqi units, with no direct U.S.
support, held their own against Iranian-trained and equipped militias in
Basra. The ministry concluded that despite the defection of numerous troops
the Iraq Army, under the command of Gen. Mohan Al Freiji, succeeded in
rapidly transporting 15,000 soldiers to the southern port city. On Sunday,
Freiji said 1,300 police and soldiers had been dismissed for refusing to
fight.
"We didn't beat them, but we came out much better than they had
expected," the official said. "We didn't break ranks and run, and we exacted
heavy casualties."
Officials said the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army and other Shi'ite militias
incurred more than 600 casualties and 1,000 injuries. The Iraq Army and
police reported 88 killed and 122 injured. They said the militias, urged by
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, appealed for a ceasefire.