The British army has greatly reduced its presence on the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The move comes after the region's provincial governor called on local police to sever co-operation with the British until London apologises for recent violence.
Speaking to journalists in Baghdad today, Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie called Monday's attack by British forces on a Basra police station "a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty."
At least five Iraqis were killed during clashes between British forces and Iraqi police and demonstrators. British troops forced their way into a jail and freed two of their soldiers arrested by Iraqi police and militiamen.
Hundreds of Iraqi civilians and policemen, some waving pistols and AK-47s, rallied in Basra yesterday to denounce "British aggression" in the rescue of the two British soldiers.
Several hours after the protest, Basra's provincial council held an emergency meeting and voted unanimously "to stop dealing with the British forces in Basra and not to co-operate with them because of their irresponsible aggression on a government facility."
Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waili called the attack "barbaric" and a product of imperial arrogance. He declared an end to all co-operation with British forces unless the British government apologised for the clashes and compensated relatives of Iraqis killed in the violence.
Governor al-Waili also said today that any Iraqi government employee who co-operates with British forces in Basra will be punished. He also told The Associated Press: "We want the two British soldiers who were freed to be turned over to Iraqi authorities."
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has repeated assurances that the troubles in Basra would not cause a rift between the British contingent and the Iraqi security forces.
Each side has offered contradictory accounts of Monday's events, and al-Jaafari said he would be meeting with British Ambassador William Patey to "look into what has happened."
AP