British troops, Iraqi Shiite militia clash in Basra

[Barrett808]

BASRA, Iraq (AFP) - Clashes erupted between British troops and Shiite Muslim militiamen in Iraq's southern city of Basra Friday, causing one British casualty, said an aide of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and the military.

The Mehdi Army opened fire after coalition forces violated an agreement not to drive in front of the street that leads to the cleric's Basra office, said Sadr's Basra representative, Sheikh Assad Basri.

"The British soldiers fired back. There was rocket-propelled grenade and light arms fire," Basri said.

The clashes were continuing two hours after they flared just before 6:00 pm (1400 GMT) and more than a dozen British vehicles had been encircled Sadr's office, he said.

"We can confirm that there's been an incident in central Basra. There has been one British casualty," said a British spokesman, who refused to give any further details.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040917/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_unrest_basra&cid=1514&ncid=1480

[KeepItReal]

1. Who is writing these Cheneyed-up Rules of Engagement??

"The Mehdi Army opened fire after coalition forces violated an agreement not to drive in front of the street that leads to the cleric's Basra office, said Sadr's Basra representative, Sheikh Assad Basri."

The so-called "insurgents" are telling the occupiers where they can and cannot drive??

[DivinBreuvage]

2. Wait a minute, I thought the British were the "Occupation Pros"

because of their valuable Northern Ireland experience and all that.