Themes

Article highlights

• Operation Haven

• Arriving in Turkey

• Making ‘safe routes’

• Safe havens

• Food and medical supplies

• Re-establishing the Kurdish community - Zakho
  

• Re-establishing the Kurdish community -Quadish

• An end to the suffering

Making ‘safe routes’

One essential early role for the Royal Marines was ensuring that the Kurdish population could move safely from their mountain retreats. This meant protecting them from the threat of attack from Iraqi Forces and also from injury in the country’s vast minefields. They had to establish trust and convince the Kurdish guerrillas that the refugee camps were really safe.

Each Commando had its own tasks. The Commandos would then split into their various companies to undertake different elements of the task.

40 Commando’s C Company moved to the Kurdish villages of Begova and then Nazdur which were burnt down and deserted. They then checked safe routes for the refugees to move out of the mountains while 40’s Support Company moved to Kani Masi to establish the Refugee Movement Centre through which the refugees would pass.

Royal Marines from 45 Commando patrol the town of Zakho. 29 April 1991. (RMM)

45 Commando’s Reconnaissance Party joined Task Force Bravo and moved to Zakho to establish a Unit Headquarters, then returned to Silopi. A few days later the Commando's M and X Companies also established themselves at Zakho. The town was unoccupied apart from the Iraqi Police. As the Marines occupied the town Iraqi Army units watched them on the ridge about 600 metres away.

As 45 Commando’s X Company patrolled towards the refugee camps they came across a Peshmerga roadblock. The Peshmerga believed that it was their job to prevent the refugees leaving the camps until they were convinced that these ‘Safe Havens’ were indeed safe.

They were well armed with pistols, rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons and would resist if necessary. The Marines showed the Peshmerga’s senior commander what they had achieved in Zakho. As a result, he allowed the refugees to begin returning.

Kurdish freedom fighters come down from the hills to Zakho for talks with LtCol Thomson, the Commanding Officer of 45 Cdo. Among the problems discussed was the presence of Secret Police in the village which was under the protection of the Royal Marines. (RMM)

Next, the different sections of 3 Commando Brigade supported the movement of the refugees down to Kani Masi Refugee Movement Centre. Royal Marines Air Defence Troop, the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, and 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, deployed in a line parallel to the Turkish/Iraqi border. Their job was to provide a screen against any possible interference from the Iraqi Army or Secret Police.

40 and 45 Commando were now in the mountains preparing to bring the refugees back down to their villages and towns whilst the main HQ of 3 Commando Brigade with 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers and the Brigade Air Squadron established themselves in the centre at Sirsenk.