Basra was not the hottest objective, but there was stiff resistance including heavy mortars. But the Brits would not use indirect fire weapons (artillery) against a populated city.
I despair when I see what the US army has started to do to Fuluja. We have already seen pictures of child and civillian victims.
I know that they are desperate to keep military casualties down, but the consequences of this will reverberate for years.
The true role of a soldier is to shield the innocent, if necassary at risk to himself.