The governor and provincial government of Basra said today they would end all co-operation with British forces in the southern Iraqi city until Britain apologises for Monday's clashes between its forces and Iraqi police.
Basra's provincial council held an emergency meeting in the city today and voted unanimously "to stop dealing with the British forces working in Basra and not to co-operate with them because of their irresponsible aggression on a government facility."
The council demanded Britain apologise to Basra's citizens and police, and provide compensation for the families of people killed or wounded in the violence. The council also said it would punish employees who had not tried to defend the Basra police station from the British military attack.
Despite today's protests, the British Secretary of Defence, Mr John Reid met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari today and tried to minimise the effect of the fighting, saying it would not undermine the relationship between the two countries or their determination to lead Iraq to peace and democracy.
Five Iraqi civilians were killed in Monday's fighting, including two who died of their injuries today in a hospital, and other people wounded.
"The British troops should stop these barbarian and illegal actions," Basra's governor, Mohammed al-Waili, said in a telephone interview. "I am one of the 41 members of the provincial council, and I support boycotting the British troops and stopping all the co-operation with them until our demands are met."
The fighting, which erupted on Monday when British forces freed two British soldiers being held by Iraqi police and militiamen, raised new concerns about the power that radical Shia militias with close ties with Iran have developed in the region.
The violence began when British troops stormed a police station using an armoured vehicle to free two British undercover troops who had been arrested by Iraqi police. The soldiers were subsequently found in a nearby private home in the custody of Shia militias.
The clashes have raised questions about the role of Britain's 8,500-strong force in Iraq, and doubts about the timetable for handing over power to local security forces.
About 500 civilians and policemen held a protest today in downtown Basra denouncing "British aggression."
The demonstrators in Basra, which included police and civilians waving pistols and AK47s, shouted "No to occupation!" and carried banners condemning "British aggression" and demanding the freed soldiers be tried in an Iraqi court as "terrorists."