Iraq: Iraqi police staged an angry anti-British protest in Basra yesterday as London and Baghdad sought to quell tension over a British raid to free two undercover soldiers held in the southern city.
About 200 policemen who work at the police station and jail, which were damaged during the British raid, marched through the streets, calling for the city police chief to be fired and for the "British terrorists" to be returned to Iraqi jurisdiction.
British forces raided the jail to free two undercover soldiers who were detained by Iraqi security forces following a firefight on Monday. The British said the men were held by a militia group who had gained custody of them from police. But Iraqi interior minister Bayan Jabor told the BBC the men had never left police custody and were not handed to militants.
The Iraqi government said in a statement there was no crisis with Britain, but senior Iraqi officials have castigated the raid, with Basra province governor calling it a "barbaric act".
In London, Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari met British defence secretary John Reid to discuss the incident and afterwards the two told reporters diplomatic ties had not been harmed.
"It will not affect the relationship between Iraq and Britain," said Dr Reid, who is under pressure over the deployment of 8,500 troops and has faced calls for a withdrawal timetable.
Asked if British troops should not immediately withdraw, Dr Reid referred the question to Mr Jaafari, who said they should not.
"We will not cut and run. We will not leave the job half-done," Dr Reid said. "We will stand by Iraq when times are tough and we will be a committed friend, not a fair-weather friend."
The Iraqi prime minister, returning from New York, said he did not know the details about the raid, but said an investigation had been launched and would establish the facts.
Basra, a mainly Shia Muslim city, has experienced a surge in militia activity over the past nine months, with armed Shia factions vying for influence in the security forces and the local council.
The militias are also believed to have carried out attacks on British troops, three of whom have been killed by roadside bombs this month, and on journalists exposing their activities.
Iraqi authorities admitted insurgents had infiltrated the police and other security forces in Basra and elsewhere.
"Our Iraqi security forces in general, and these in particular and in many parts of Iraq, I have to admit that they have been penetrated by some of the insurgents," Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, told the BBC on Tuesday.
He said he did not know the extent of the infiltration, but said new procedures were in place to get rid of bad apples.
Britain has spent the past 2½ years securing Basra and building up its security forces in the expectation that Iraqi forces could take over and allow British troops to withdraw. The acknowledgement that more than two years work has essentially failed to produce a functioning police force is likely to provoke anger among Iraqis, whose chief concern has always been security and who want foreign troops to leave.
Southern Iraq is home to several Shia militias, including one loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. - (Reuters)