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| Iraq |
| Brits Have A Spat With Some Tots |
| 2006-06-11 |
| At least five Iraqis were killed and a British soldier wounded when a firefight broke out between Mehdi militia gunmen and British troops in the southern town of Amara, police have reported. "Five people were killed, including one woman and 15 were wounded," said Lieutenant Ali Aziz of the Amara police, adding that the gunmen were members of the Mehdi militia of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. British military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Eaton confirmed there was a clash but declined to speculate on the identity of the attackers or the number of casualties. "There were a series of firefights where multinational troops were engaged from a variety of places," he said, adding that they began at 3:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) and lasted over an hour. "There was quite sustained gunfire, RPG and small arms fire," he said referring to rocket propelled grenades. "It is probable that some terrorists were killed." One British soldier was wounded and a Warrior armored vehicle became stuck in a ditch and had to be recovered, he said. Amara police reported a British vehicle in flames. Eaton added that the situation was still confused and it is not clear if it was a single incident that mushroomed as gunmen joined the fray or if there was a substantial force already in place waiting for the patrol. Amara, just north of Basra, is the scene of heavy militia activity where British soldiers regularly come under attack. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 A bit of a row, eh? |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2006-06-11 18:43 |