Base looted as soon as it was turned over to Iraqis
Looters ravaged a former British base Friday, a day after the camp was turned over to Iraqi troops, taking everything from doors and window frames to corrugated roofing and metal pipes, authorities said.
About 1,200 British troops had been stationed at Camp Abu Naji in Amarah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and the base had come under almost daily attack. The troops pulled out Thursday to redeploy along the border with Iran to crack down on weapons smuggling.
Some Iraqi police apparently tried to prevent the looting, but not enough to stop it. The Iraqi soldiers mostly watched. With the looters numbering the hundreds, it would have taken a large, well lead effort to block them. I am guessing the locals knew full well they had to move quickly to loot anything of value before the military looted it themselves.
Jay