God bless our troops!
The drama involving the Desert Rats took place in Zubayr, seen as a hotbed of resistance led by Ba'ath party loyalists.
A mixed force of Desert Rats and Royal Marines stormed a building identified as the Ba'ath party's key regional headquarters in the early hours of today.
They killed 20 Ba'ath party officials, Special Security Organisation members and Fedayeen fighters, Saddam's personal militia.
A senior Ba'ath party official was taken prisoner and is to be questioned on his knowledge of the resistance effort in and around Basra.