The handover of the hotel is part of the ongoing withdrawal of British forces from Iraq in accordance with the United Kingdom’s security agreement with the Iraqi government.
“Military and civilian personnel, both Iraqi and Coalition, have worked within the hotel to achieve the conditions that have allowed us to celebrate many days just like this – the return of functions and facilities to the Basrawis,” said Group Captain Richard Hill, deputy commander of British forces in Iraq. The British have been careful in maintaining the historical significance of the hotel, and for the past six years invested millions of dollars worth of work into making the building habitable and more aesthetically appealing.
“When Coalition forces arrived here in 2003, the building was an unfinished shell with nothing but bare concrete walls and pillars,” said Lt. Col. Sean Tulley, joint force logistics officer, UK Forces in Basra. “The improvement of the hotel over the last six years is extremely recognizable.” According to Hill, most of the work inside the hotel has been done by British Army Royal Engineers. Up to this point, their Soldiers have been preparing the building for its handover.
“Recognizing the importance of the Hotel to the airport, and in turn to Basra itself, we have been careful over the past six years to steadily invest in a series of improvements to the infrastructure,” said Hill. As the protective walls and other indicators of its previous existence as a military headquarters have been removed, it has revealed that Basra once again has a building in which a high quality hotel can be created, added Hill.
This handover would not have been possible without the improved level of safety and security provided by the Iraqi Security Forces in Basra, said Tulley. “It is the very success of these joint efforts that has created the environment enabling UK forces to leave Iraq.”
