Five British Soldiers Wounded in Basra Clashes

[Barrett808]

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Five British soldiers were wounded in fierce clashes with Shi'ite militiamen on the streets of Basra Monday, a British military spokesman said, as tensions soared in Iraq's second largest city.

Two British military Land Rovers were also set on fire after militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr fired rocket-propelled grenades at their patrol.

"At this stage it appears that five soldiers have been lightly wounded," Captain Hisham Halawi, a spokesman for British forces in the city, told Reuters.

A spokeswoman for British forces said crews were in the process of trying to recover the burned vehicles.

"There are ongoing engagements, it's certainly a conflict," the spokeswoman said. "I can confirm that two vehicles have been destroyed, but other than that it's a confused situation at this point."

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/iraq_basra_dc

[catmandu57]

1. Basra

Sounds like the country is uprising.

[daleo]

2. The oilfields of Basra have been shut down today as well

This information fits in with that news, and with the general sense that things are spinning even more out of control (Tet like?).

[aneerkoinos]

3. one dead, five wounded

"A British soldier has been killed and others injured in clashes in Basra with militiamen loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.
A military spokesman said the situation in Iraq's second city was "tense" after the clashes in which two vehicles were destroyed.

Large numbers of armed militiamen loyal to the cleric were reported to be roaming Basra's streets.

It comes after days of battles between Mr Sadr's men and US troops in Najaf."

More:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3549600.stm

[daleo]

4. This will be bad for the poodle

The U.K. had been getting off relatively lightly lately.