officer, Major Justin Featherstone, was given permission to withdraw by his commanding officer if he felt events on the ground required it. Still, he refused to have his men leave their posts. Captain Charlie Curry was given command for six days during this time when Major Featherstone went on R&R. At the end of the siege, six British soldiers were injured seriously in the battle; the only fatality on the British side was Private Chris Rayment who died when a traffic barrier fell on his head, after the linkage was caught by a Snatch Land Rover which was entering the camp in convoy, under heavy enemy fire. The British estimated Mahdi Army casualties at the end of the battle at least 200 dead, leaving them as a seriously depleted force in Al Amarah, incapable of attacking the British in large numbers for the remainder of the coalition occupation of the town. CIMIC House was handed over to the Iraqis at the end of August 2004, with the British consolidating their forces in Camp Abu Naji. Among the soldiers defending CIMIC house was a large contingent of Territorial Army soldiers who were mobilised to serve with the PWRR and QRL Battle Groups in April 2004. They included one Warrior (AFV) from B Coy 3 Scots The Blackwatch, Snipers from 1st Bn 22nd Cheshire Regiment, Territorial soldiers from the 52nd Lowland Regiment and Soldiers from various different squadrons of the Royal Yeomanry regiment. Although these reservists contributed significantly to the defence of CIMIC house, their efforts were largely overshadowed by the regular PWRR (Y Company). References External links Details on the battle View of CIMIC-House from Google Maps Sniper One – Sgt Dan Mills (The blistering true story of a British battle group under siege Military operations involving the United Kingdom Military operations of the Iraq War 2004 in Iraq Conflicts in 2004 Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Occupation of Iraq Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Royal Welch Fusiliers