- Title: IRAQ: Roadside bomb in Basra kills four British soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter
- Date: 6th April 2007
- Summary: INTERIOR OF CHECKPOINT/ SCATTERED BOOKS AND PAPERS PAPERS AND DOSSIERS ON THE GROUND PIECES OF GLASS ON THE GROUND DAMAGED FURNITURE (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER, SAYING: "The British forces attacked us yesterday. They were on foot patrol and they stormed our checkpoint, confiscating our guns and without any permission. We did not do anything, we were ap
- Embargoed: 21st April 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Iraq
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVAEU2EXX6VYR9AET1VDI8NW59QU
- Story Text: Four British soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Thursday (April 5), the British military said.
One resident said he saw at least one armoured vehicle ablaze and a second one damaged.
"I saw some soldiers being taken away, but I don't know how many," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
British military spokeswoman Katie Brown said a roadside bomb hit British troops at 2 a.m. (2200 GMT).
The incident took place in Hayaniya, a slum area on the northwestern outskirts of Basra that is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Shortly afterwards, police reported what they described as a retaliatory raid on their checkpoint by British forces.
"The British forces attacked us yesterday. They were on foot patrol and they stormed our checkpoint, confiscating our guns and without any permission. We did not do anything, we were applying the law!" a police officer told Reuters Television.
The deaths brought to six the number of British soldiers killed in Iraq this week, making it one of the deadliest for British forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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