So what were two undercover British soldiers up to in Basra?

[Barrett808]

The dramatic rescue of two special forces men from an Iraqi police station has exposed hidden tensions and highlighted increasing dangers for British troops. Raymond Whitaker in London and Sarah Tejal Dave in Basra report

Published: 25 September 2005

An Iraqi judge yesterday issued arrest warrants for two British soldiers, presumed to be SAS men, whose detention by Iraqi police and subsequent rescue by British forces in Basra last week has thrown an unprecedented spotlight on Britain's role in Iraq.

Early yesterday a flurry of rockets was fired at buildings occupied by British troops, but police said the only injuries were suffered by an Iraqi family in a house hit by one missile. Tensions aroused by last week's clashes remain high, with Basra's governor refusing to co-operate with British forces until the local authorities receive an apology and compensation for the damage caused when troops stormed the al-Jamiat police station on Monday.

The arrest warrants issued by Judge Raghib al-Mudhafar, chief of the Basra anti-terrorism court, have "no legal basis", according to British spokesmen, because of the agreement giving British forces legal immunity. "We have a legal obligation to investigate the allega- tions ourselves," said a Ministry of Defence official. "That is being done as we speak. We will continue to work with the Iraqis on the inquiry which the Iraqi government has begun."

But Judge Mudhafar says he is not convinced the two men are British - possibly because one of them was said to have been carrying a Canadian-made weapon - and they may not be entitled to immunity. This has added yet another layer of mystery to what is already an extremely murky affair.

Who are the two men, and what were they doing when they were seized outside Jamiat police station? What prompted British forces to smash down the wall of the station and demolish several prefabricated buildings inside the compound in the operation to snatch them back? Is it true that they had been handed over to a militia, or that the men inside the station were militia in police uniform?

The search for answers to those questions reveals that the picture the British public has been allowed to gain of our occupation of southern Iraq - one of relative tranquillity and co-operation compared to the bloody mayhem further north - is at best misleading, at worst deliberately distorted.

(more)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article314977.ece

[cloud_chaser1]

1. The story I read was that......

the British soldiers were not in uniform but dressed like Iraqis doing espionage or undercover work when they were captured. I dont know how true that is but it sounds real.

[opihimoimoi]

2. This one will not die so easy...the story is filled with stuff for movies

making it a target for curious reporters/writers/commentators.

The end is not yet in sight...

[madrchsod]

3. here ya go

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0620-31.htm
The US War with Iran has Already Begun

[Captain Hilts]

4. It doesn't matter. It's what folks THINK they were up to that's important

And it looks bad, really bad.

It seems as though reality and perception are merging here.