Train to Basra restarts, to be aid link into Iraq Train to Basra restarts, to be aid link into Iraq
By Paul Casciato
UMM QASR, Iraq, April 19 � British forces in southern Iraq relaunched a train service from the port of Umm Qasr on Saturday and aim to use it as an aid supply lifeline into the heart of Iraq.
The train will be a key link between Iraq's only major port -- where thousands of tonnes of food aid is sitting -- and the southern town of Basra. British forces hope the track beyond Basra will soon be secure enough to carry on up to Baghdad.
''The aspiration is to open the line from Umm Qasr through Basra and all the way to Baghdad,'' said Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ash, commanding the regiment which has been working with Royal Engineers and local Iraqis to make the train and tracks usable.
By Paul Casciato
UMM QASR, Iraq, April 19 � British forces in southern Iraq relaunched a train service from the port of Umm Qasr on Saturday and aim to use it as an aid supply lifeline into the heart of Iraq.
The train will be a key link between Iraq's only major port -- where thousands of tonnes of food aid is sitting -- and the southern town of Basra. British forces hope the track beyond Basra will soon be secure enough to carry on up to Baghdad.
''The aspiration is to open the line from Umm Qasr through Basra and all the way to Baghdad,'' said Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ash, commanding the regiment which has been working with Royal Engineers and local Iraqis to make the train and tracks usable.
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