Umm Qasr, Iraq; 28 March 2003 (RFE/RL) -- The first humanitarian aid ship since the start of the war in Iraq has arrived in the southern Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr. The arrival today of the British ship "Sir Galahad" had been delayed due to fighting between U.S.-led forces and Iraqi troops, and because of mines found in Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deepwater port.
The ship's hundreds of tons of food, medicine, and water are intended primarily for the 1.3 million residents of the southern city of Basra.
U.S. Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said the docking was "the most significant" humanitarian step yet in the nine-day-old conflict.
The ship's hundreds of tons of food, medicine, and water are intended primarily for the 1.3 million residents of the southern city of Basra.
U.S. Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said the docking was "the most significant" humanitarian step yet in the nine-day-old conflict.