Смысл такой: разведка на двух лендроверах выявила сначала одну, потом другую группу ополченцев, которые были обстреляны но «сумели спастись». Потом было вызвано подкрепление из полка Принцессы Уэльсской, которое в ходе 3-х часового (!) боя сумело уничтожить «как минимум 20» повстанцев и 9-х взять в плен. Судя по всему, у англичан было и численное и огневое преимущество. «Было несколько классических атак на минометные позиции» и «несколько ближних боев с примкнутыми штыками» - т.е. англичане врывались в расположение противника еще не окончательно подавленного артиллерийским огнем. Штыки примыкали, скорее всего «для форсу ихнего, шотландского», но о том, чтобы ими кто-то пользовался – ни слова.
In May, soldiers of the Regiment mounted, in the words of news reports at the time, "what were described as "classic infantry assaults" on firing and mortar positions held by more than 100 fighters loyal to the outlawed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr."
At least 20 men from al-Sadr’s army were believed killed in more than three hours of fighting - the highest toll reported in any single incident involving British forces in the past 12 months. Nine fighters were captured and three British soldiers injured, none seriously.
"It was very bloody and it was difficult to count all their dead," one source was quoted as saying. "There were bodies floating in the river."
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were drawn into the fighting when soldiers in two Land-Rovers were ambushed about 15 miles east of the city of Amara. The soldiers escaped, only to be ambushed a second time by a larger group of militia, armed with machine-guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.
Reinforcements were summoned from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment at a base nearby. "There was some pretty fierce hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets fixed," the source added. "There were some classic assaults on mortar positions held by the al-Sadr forces."
