Iraqis Riot in Basra; One Protester Dead

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030810/wl_nm/iraq_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqis enraged by fuel shortages rioted in Basra Sunday, forcing British troops to fire warning shots for a second day in an effort to quell some of the worst unrest seen since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

At least one Iraqi involved in protests was killed and two others were wounded, but it was not clear who had fired the shots which struck them, reporters in the city said.

Hundreds of young men barricaded roads in the second city with blazing tires and hurled chunks of concrete at passing cars. British tanks patrolled the streets and armored vehicles guarded petrol stations where increasingly frustrated drivers queued for hours in 120-degree heat.

Anxious to keep a lid on tempers in Shi'ite Muslim southern Iraq, the British have blamed oil smugglers, looters and saboteurs for power cuts and a shortage of diesel that has meant little electricity even for those with household generators. But that has done little to soothe the anger.

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[greatauntoftriplets]

1. And here I thought that Basra was so peaceful.

I don't quite remember where I head that, but I have. The propaganda machine tries to spin out of control, and once in a while the truth gets through.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Remember the "popular uprising" in Basra that the news outlets...

...were all geared up to report on and then never materialized? With the Iraqis dancing on the rooftops and throwing rose petals on to their liberators with joy? It was like yesterday.

Don