U.K. soldiers Promt Tension in Basra

Tensions rose between locals and British soldiers responsible for the region’s control in the Shiite city Basra on Monday. Until now, the city has remained relatively isolated from the flow of violence in Iraq.

After two British soldiers dressed as locals were detained by Iraqi security forces after coming into conflict with Iraqi police, British soldiers began an operation and surrounded the prison where the two soldiers were being detained.

When the British soldiers failed finding their detained fellow soldiers in the prison, they raided a house in the neighborhood and abducted the soldiers.

A British Defense Ministry statement told that they conducted an operation in Basra since the British soldiers failed to be released in accordance with security agreements. On the other side, Iraqi officials accused the British soldiers who attacked the prison, of being “barbaric”.

Three more Turkish drivers killed. Meanwhile, eight Americans, four of them soldiers were killed in Iraq.. In a Baghdad neighborhood, 38 year-old Fakir Hayder, who was working for The New York Times, was found dead.

Moreover, three Turkish truck drivers were claimed to have been killed in Duriye in the north of Baghdad, and their trucks were set on fire, Zaman Online reported.