On day 11 of the war in Iraq, several thousand Iraqis citizens of Basra fled daily this city under siege by the British Military. Inside the city and on the outskirts of Basra, artillery battles between the British and pro-Saddam forces continued. Inside the city a humanitarian crisis developed, with a dramatic lack of fresh water and food. On the outskirts of the southern edge of the city, the "Desert Rats", members of the Blackwatch Regiment of the 7th Armored brigade, held checkpoints leading into the city. They had a double task, checking people for weapons trying to get back into the city, and directing refugees out. One could see many donkey carts trying to take vegetables like tomatoes into the city. There were many signs that the humanitarian crisis was getting worse. Many people coming and going from the city were collapsing at checkpoints indicating they were in desperate need of water. The numbers of people fleeing the city also increased dramatically. The situation in Basra was one of the critical elements of the war.


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