Basra, the setting of a startling battle
BASRA, September 19 – On Monday the sounds of gunfire did not seize in the city of Basra. This 1.5 million people port city is the scene of a clash between Iraqi policemen and the British Forces. While Western military spokesmen tried to divert from the situation by saying the British and the Iraqi’s are on the same side nothing was less true.
Hell broke loose as the Iraqi police arrested two Britons on the charge of contemplating terrorist attacks. British Forces immediately tried to free the two and an unpleasant battle erupted. One British armored vehicle went up in flames after being set on fire by Iraqi policemen, no deaths or injuries have been reported yet but the fights are still going on as I type.
The house of Basra’s governor was also attacked in this chaos, mortar rounds and grenades were fired but nobody got hurt. Shiite militiamen are being held responsible for this, it is said they were trying to force the governor into releasing two prominent members of this group believed to be under the command of Shiite cleric Sadr.
Apart from this mini-war the body of a freelance journalist was found in Basra. The man was handcuffed and killed with a shot to the head after being kidnapped on Sunday from his home. Since this May at least 65 assassinations have been carried out in Basra and the situation is only escalating because of the extreme violence against Shiites the last few days.
