Heat and mistranslation hinder troop training in Iraq

By Luke Baker

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Twenty-five Iraqi soldiers ambushed a British army vehicle near Basra on Wednesday, 'killed' two people, detained a third and received a round of applause for their efforts.

It was the penultimate day of a two-week training course for the Iraqis, described by their British mentors as among the best they have seen in the past six months.

If all goes according to plan, the company of around 80 men, red berets slightly askew, will soon join the rest of their battalion to bolster a 12,000-strong Iraqi division that is slowly taking shape in the south.

"We're at a stage where I really think the Iraqi army is going to start showing its ability," said Major Ed Wilson, whose Irish Guards company leads the training at an abandoned airfield west of Basra.

"These soldiers are among the best. They're committed, they're well led and they're learning every day."

The vehicle ambush, with British soldiers playing the part of insurgents, was one of two scenarios for the Iraqis on a hot day when attention spans were short and the ringing of the trainees' mobile phones occasionally interrupted proceedings.

The other role-play involved repelling an insurgent attack on their imaginary barracks, which went well until one of the Iraqis sat up on the roof, exposing himself to 'gunfire'.

"He's dead," said one of the trainers under his breath, monitoring proceedings from afar. "The insurgents have snipers who would definitely have picked him off."