Blasts in Iraq's Basra Wound 13 British Soldiers

[omshanti]

(Note: I checked back 2 pages and didn't see this posted, my apologies if it is a dupe.)

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two explosions in the southern Iraqi city of Basra wounded 13 British soldiers on Monday, in an attack that followed a demonstration by unemployed youths, the British military said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040322/wl_nm/iraq_britain_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

[truthspeaker]

1. But the world is safer with Saddam gone!

Dennis Hastert said so!

[Joanne98]

2. rate it a 5

:)

[Pert_UK]

3. F*cking hell, one of my best mates is in Basra...

She's helping to rebuild the Iraqi justice system as part of the British government delegation....Basra is supposed to be safe.

I am SO worried about her.....

P.

[omshanti]

4. oh God I hope she is ok!

Let us know if you hear anything. That's so horrible!

[aquart]

6. I hope you hear from her soon.

Does she know to check in after events like this?

[Pert_UK]

12. Yeah, she'll drop me a note eventually........

P.

[Spentastic]

13. Pert

Mate, have you seen the papers today? Basra looks pretty far from safe. I hope whoever it is out there is O.K.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/22/ubas.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/03/22/ixportaltop.html

I hate the Telegraph but I wouldn't want to be one of those guys.

[Pert_UK]

15. Yeah, I know, but it WAS safeish for a while.....

I think that Israel may have had more than a little to do with this....

P.

[Aidoneus]

7. al-Basrah is not supposed to be "safe"

It was invaded and now is under foreign occupation. Would you like London to be considered "safe" for the enemy if it was invaded?

I hope nothing happens to her a returns safely.

[Pert_UK]

11. I meant safe compared to Baghdad...........

The Brit soldiers in Basra had, until that point, been mostly welcomed and hadn't faced many attacks. It's very different to the situation in Baghdad. Only the other day I saw several interviews with Brit forces in Basra and they were talking about their good relations with the locals and how they weren't facing attacks very often.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. good article..........

rated it 5. currently 4.53 with 44 votes. thanks.

[dArKeR]

8. British soldiers injured in Basra - Guardian

ourteen British soldiers were injured, three of them seriously, in Basra yesterday when hundreds of Iraqis threw stones and petrol bombs during protests about job shortages.

One soldier was seen with his head and shoulders covered in flames. Another had been injured earlier in the protests. There were reports that the troops, who were in tanks and sheltered behind shields, had fired tear gas in a bid to break up the crowd of about 500. The Ministry of Defence said they fired baton rounds in self defence, but had used no live rounds or tear gas.


The chief of Basra customs, Zafer Abdel-Nabi, said the crowd had marched on the local customs police headquarters demanding jobs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1175712,00.html

[dArKeR]

9. In SJ CA the TV news announcer said 'killed' not injured.

[pippin]

10. Can't more about the British soldier

3/22/04 Cornwall: British soldier left in flames by Iraq rioters

A British soldier was set alight by a petrol bomb during riots in the southern Iraqi city of Basra that left 13 troops injured.

http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Summary.aspx

Damn Bush and Blair.

[Barrett808]

14. kick

[Barrett808]

16. This image of the soldier on fire gets to me

A British soldier is covered by flames from a fuel bomb thrown during a violent protest in Basra, Iraq (news - web sites) March 22, 2004. Two explosions in the southern Iraqi city of Basra wounded 13 British soldiers on Monday, in an attack that followed the demonstration by unemployed youths, the British military said. ''e can confirm reports of two explosions in central Basra which appear to have been targeted against coalition forces,' a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in London said. 'None of the injuries is thought to be life-threatening.' (Atef Hassan/Reuters)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040322/photos_wl/mdf503729