- Title: IRAQ: BRITISH FORCES IN SOUTHER IRAQ ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR CONTROL OF BASRA
- Date: 1st April 2003
- Summary: (W3) NEAR BASRA, IRAQ (APRIL 1, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. LV/SLV/CU OF CHECKPOINT ON BRIDGE ON SOUTHERN APPROACH TO BASRA/BRITISH SOLDIERS AT CHECKPOINT (4 SHOTS) 0.21 2. LV HUGE PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE 0.33 3. SLV/SV OF BRITISH SOLDIERS CHECKING VEHICLES (6 SHOTS) 1.30 4. SV SOLDIER CHECKING DOCUMENTS OF IRAQIS 1.39 5. SLV/SV BRITISH TANKS, HEAVY ARMOUR AT CHECKPOINT (2 SHOTS) 1.56 6. SV SOLDIER WATCHING 2.04 7. SLV BRITISH TROOPS AT CHECKPOINT 2.13 8. ANOTHER LONG LINE OF STOPPED TRAFFIC, PAN TO SLV BRITISH ARMOURED VEHICLE, SMOKE IN BACKGROUND 2.26 9. MCU BRITISH SOLDIER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS 2.41 10. LV PLUMES OF BLACK SMOKE 2.57 11. SLV TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD 3.09 12. SV RED CROSS TRUCK WITH PEOPLE AT THE CROSSING 3.19 13. LV BRITISH TANK AS TRAFFIC PASSING BY 3.30 14. SLV TROOPS CHECKING DOCUMENTS OF IRAQIS 3.43 15. SV BRITISH SOLDEIRS AT CHECKPOINT 3.57 16. SLV BRITISH APC (2 SHOTS) 4.12 17. CU/LV OF BRITISH TANK ON ROAD (2 SHOTS) 4.53 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th April 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEAR BASRA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVADL4DCQCSFAPFZDET2EROA3V4F
- Story Text: British forces in southern Iraq are still fighting for
control of Basra, Iraq's second largest city. The troops have
established checkpoints, including one at a bridge, and are
thoroughly searching all vehicles and passengers passing
through.
Tanks and armoured vehicles were guarding the approach
to a strategic bridge on the southern approach to the city on
Tuesday (April 1).
A long line of backed-up Iraqi civilian vehicles waited to
cross the bridge as British soldiers conducted thorough
searches of each vehicle.
British forces have besieged Basra, a city of 1.5 million
people 550 km (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, since reaching
its outskirts at the start of the 13-day-old war to oust
Saddam.
Resistance has continued in the city, confounding British
and U.S. hopes that the Shi'ite people of southern Iraq would
repeat their 1991 revolt against Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein's largely Sunni leadership. The revolt was brutally
put down.
There were reports on Tuesday (April 1) that some of the
Iraqis leaving the city said they faced heavy pressure from
members of Saddam's Baath party not to rise up against him.
Meanwhile, Iraqi armed forces said they had inflicted
heavy casualties on U.S. and British forces near Basra.
The reports could not be independently confirmed and were
at odds with lower casualty figures given by the U.S.-led
forces.
A British military spokesman said one British soldier was
killed overnight. He did not say where, but most of the
British troops are engaged in operations in the south around
Basra.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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