Five Iraqis killed as British troops clash with Mehdi militia

AFP ^ | 6/11/06

[TexKat]

AMARA, Iraq (AFP) - At least five Iraqis were killed and a British soldier wounded when a firefight broke out between Mehdi militia gunmen and British troops in the southern town of Amara, police have reported.

"Five people were killed, including one woman and 15 were wounded," said Lieutenant Ali Aziz of the Amara police, adding that the gunmen were members of the Mehdi militia of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

British military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Eaton confirmed there was a clash but declined to speculate on the identity of the attackers or the number of casualties.

"There were a series of firefights where multinational troops were engaged from a variety of places," he said, adding that they began at 3:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) and lasted over an hour.

"There was quite sustained gunfire, RPG and small arms fire," he said referring to rocket propelled grenades. "It is probable that some terrorists were killed."

One British soldier was wounded and a Warrior armored vehicle became stuck in a ditch and had to be recovered, he said.

Amara police reported a British vehicle in flames.

Eaton added that the situation was still confused and it is not clear if it was a single incident that mushroomed as gunmen joined the fray or if there was a substantial force already in place waiting for the patrol.

Amara, just north of Basra, is the scene of heavy militia activity where British soldiers regularly come under attack.

The once peaceful area of British control in Iraq, at least compared to the west and center of the country, has in the last month experienced an upsurge of unrest due to increased militia activity.

[TexKat]

Iraqi children throw stones on the British tanks patrolling the streets of Amara about 365 km (230 miles) southeast of Baghdad June 11, 2006. REUTERS/Sala Thani (IRAQ)

The scene at the market after five civilians were killed and more than a dozen others reportedly injured in crossfire when a gun battle erupted between British soldiers and insurgents who set a fire in a vegetable market in south Amarah, 290 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Baghdad in Iraq, according to Iraqi police, Sunday, June 11, 2006. (AP Photo/Haider Hany)

British soldiers secure an area during a patrol in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. At least five Iraqis have been killed and a British soldier wounded in a firefight which broke out between Shiite militiamen and British troops in the southern city of Al-Amara, police said.(AFP/Essam al-Sudani)

[TexKat]

Five Iraqis killed as British troops clash with Mehdi militia

[GeorgiaDawg32]

CORRECTION: 5 TERRORISTS killed..

This headline makes it sound like innocents were killed..

[JennysCool]

I'm sure that was the point.

[Continental Soldier]

Will it ever be time to round up the firebrand clerics and send them to Allah?

[MikefromOhio]

firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

I swear that the word "firebrand" has a different meaning in England that it does in the states. For Mookie, it should be angry a-hole, but the Brits call him a "firebrand". Oh well.

[TXnMA]

...the gunmen were members of the Mehdi militia of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

That scumbag's black rug-rag should have been the aiming point of a .50 BMG sniper round -- long ago. What's the holdup?

[thelastvirgil]

>>firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.<<

I feel for the jerks in the media. They've given McQueeg "maverick". Now Sadr is a "firebrand", and all the time either could be better described simply as "rebellious a**holes".

[river rat]

Keep praying that someone lights up the bastard Sadr...
Pray and pray and pray......

If an entire city block of "Sacred Holy Shrines" have to be reduced to rubble to waste his ass -- it would be worth it.


Semper Fi

[Allegra]

I swear that the word "firebrand" has a different meaning in England that it does in the states. For Mookie, it should be angry a-hole, but the Brits call him a "firebrand". Oh well.

What I call Mookie al Sadr is not suitable for this forum. I'd probably be banned for bad language. ;-)