Touch of Scottish magic that wins hearts and minds

Published on Tuesday 22 January 2008 09:45

In her second Basra report, JOANNA VALLELY talks to Edinburgh soldiers helping to keep a fragile peace

SERGEANT George Parker stuffs a bright green hanky into his clenched fist and then, when he is sure he has the recruits' attention, opens his empty palm, prompting gasps and a clamour for more. The 34-year-old works his magic as an icebreaker with Iraqi soldiers at the Shaibah divisional training centre, a few miles from the British Army's base at Basra Airport.

George, from Duddingston, trains Iraqi soldiers, also based at Shaibah, in basic soldiering skills, such conducting house searches, patrols or dealing with riots. It's not easy work, as everything takes doubly long because of the need for an interpreter. But he has found his own ways of holding their attention.

"The magic trick breaks down a few barriers and they all ask me do it again," says George, the nephew of Hibs legend Pat Stanton. "They have the same sense of humour as us and they are all football-mad. They know their Rangers and Celtic but they are puzzled when I talk about Hibs."

The sergeant has been at Shai-bah with the Royal Scots Border-ers, the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, since November. Before this, he served in Iraq in 2003 when he was shot at in a Land Rover near Al Amarah.

He and his companions threw themselves to the ground and returned fire for 45 minutes. Fortunately it was dark and the enemy's inaccuracy meant George's party escaped uninjured but he felt the ill-effects of the incident the day after on the way home for his leave. "I started shaking on the plane as reality kicked in," he admits.

The picture in Iraq has changed dramatically since then and especially since the British formally handed over control of Basra to the Iraqis in December. On this tour, George and his Royal Scots Borderers colleagues, who are also known as 1 SCOTS Mons Company, are here to mentor, monitor and train the fledgling Iraqi army, which had to be rebuilt virtually from scratch after the war.

Today, we are witnessing the first day of training for a new group of Iraqi recruits. They have received basic training from the Australian Army at Tallil, northwest of Basra, and are now building on their skills with 1 SCOTS. Lined up in the desert training ground, the recruits look a somewhat rag-tag bunch, some with their own weapons, some wearing desert boots and berets and others in black boots and bare-headed.

"Stop using that mobile or I'll come and break it," barks Ser-geant Major Tam Lindsay, from Niddrie. The interpreter translates the soldier's message and reports back that the man was on the phone to his doctor. "You should hear some of the excuses they come up with," says Tam, 32, as the group break into a run as part of their PT training.

Tam has divided the 60-strong group of men, some of whom served under the old regime and some who are new recruits, into three sections. One has gone running, another group is having personal details and photographs taken, and the third is being trained in weapons-handling at the side of an old aircraft hangar, formerly used by Saddam Hussein's airforce.

The sergeant instructs the men on how to pick up a rifle and make it safe, while Lance Corporal Peter Paterson, 23, from the Southside, gives a demonstration.

The Iraqis watch intently before going inside a hangar to try out what they've learnt, with one-to-one coaching from their Scottish mentors.

Private William Hamilton, 21, from West Calder, joined the Army in 2004 and this is his second tour in Iraq. "We're here to make the Iraqis' job easier and get them running their own country," he says. "As a private I get to take some lessons, patrol skills and anti-ambush, things like that. I get on well with them. I have a good understanding of their culture from the last time I was out."

William points out the main problem they have found when dealing with the Iraqi army: "They haven't got the same discipline as us, as an army. In the British Army, there are a whole range of ranks. In the Iraqi army they have bosses and everyone else is at the same level. Keeping them motivated can be a problem."

The Livingston FC fan is looking forward to coming home for his mid-tour break next week. "I play for East Calder United back home. I miss my family and friends and having freedom," he says. "Here all you've got is this camp and you are in the same clothes for six months."

Mons Company enjoy better facilities at Shaibah, nicknamed Shaibiza, where they sleep in individual rooms in temporary cabins and don't suffer the same threat of rockets and mortars coming into camp as at the Basra base. One reason for their increased safety is that their camp is in the Iraqi Army base. The Iraqis are less likely to risk firing on their own forces.

The first big test of the Iraqi Army's new skills came last Friday when Basra city suffered its worst day of violence since the handover. A religious cult clashed with security forces during the Ashura religious festival and the British Army was on standby to help – should the Iraqis have requested it. But they managed to quell the violence without help, which Captain Bob Stuart, the official spokesman for 1 SCOTS, believes was testament to their training's effectiveness.

"The Iraqi Army was put to the test in an isolated incident in Basra on Friday," he says. "They coped very well, proving they had understood the training received, and handled the situation without any need for intervention."

Back at Shaiba, George Parker is preparing tomorrow's lesson. The sergeant has a huge flag of his team on the wall alongside photos of his son Jak, six, who he's looking forward to seeing walk out at Easter Road as a Hibs mascot when he's next home on leave. Meanwhile, he's doing Arabic lessons and honing his fitness at the gym. "If you keep yourself busy, the time goes faster," he says.

Some men are making plans to recreate Christmas with their families when they get home.

Chewing a caramel from a Christmas box sent from Colinton Primary School, George adds: "On Christmas Day I was dying to phone home and see how my wee boy was, but I had to wait as we are three hours ahead. We'll have turkey and all the trimmings when I get home. My wee boy will have a second Christmas."