ROYAL Marine Commandos have maintained the pressure on insurgents and criminals on the waterways of Iraq.

After being at the hub of Operation Troy, intended to seal off the heart of Basra to traffic by car or boat to strangle criminal activity, the amphibious warfare experts of 539 Assault Squadron interdicted known smuggling routes in the Maysaan province.

Accompanied by forces from the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement, the commandos set up covert observation posts in the reeds and marshes of southern Maysaan, then waited for smugglers to pass before pouncing.

They also conducted overt patrols, stopping and searching craft in the myriad waterways which criss-cross Maysaan, and also conducted searches of the marshland to find hidden weapons caches.

The wetlands of Maysaan in the lower Tigris-Euphrates basin extend over around 20,000 square miles of land straddling the Iraq-Iran border and since the fall of the Saddam regime renewed irrigation and water management efforts have breathed fresh life into the region.

As a result, an estimated 500,000 ‘Marsh Arabs’ – but criminals also seized upon the marshland’s rebirth to use the streams and rivers as a highway for contraband.

The Royals used their Zodiac inflatable raiders to carry out Operation Thunderbird; the Iraqis used ‘air boats’ – fan-propelled ‘kings of the marshes’ (like those in the Florida Everglades) which can reach speeds of more than 55mph.

“This type of joint operation is key to tackling smuggling and stemming the flow of arms across the border. It reinforces the message that illegal activity will not be tolerated,” explained C/Sgt Nigel Bartlett.

“Working with the Iraqi Department for Border Enforcement is essential – they know this area like the back of their hands.”