An Iraqi crowd killed six British soldiers because the troops had slain four Iraqi civilians during a demonstration, police said Wednesday, a day after the shootings.
Armed Iraqis killed two of the British soldiers at the scene of the demonstration — in front of the mayor's office — and then stormed a police station and killed four other British soldiers after a two-hour gunbattle, a pair of Iraqi policemen said, according to AP. Locals said the civilians were protesting against intrusive searches for weapons by troops.
A British military spokesman in Iraq has said the killing of the six soldiers was "unprovoked murder" and troops are on a "heightened state of alert". "This attack was unprovoked. It was murder," Lieutenant-Colonel Ronnie McCourt said.
A total of 24 Iraqi policemen were at the police station when the gunfight erupted. They fled through a window. Two were injured, the Iraqi witness said.
The bodies of the six soldiers were found on Tuesday in the town of Al Majar al Kabir, 200 kilometers north of Basra, where they had been training local police.
On Wednesday, British forces gave civilian leaders in this town 48 hours to hand over gunmen who killed the six troops, a municipal official said Wednesday. "We hope that we'll be able to bring those who are guilty of these attacks to justice," L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. official in Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad.
UK Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon confirmed on Sky News: "Certainly there was an exchange of fire and British forces came under attack and they responded robustly as they are entitled to do when they are being threatened."
Hoon said he could not rule out sending more troops back to Iraq. According to him, an "urgent review" was underway and that reinforcements were ready if needed to ensure the safety of troops.
"Depending on the results of that review ... we have significant forces available should it be necessary. Many thousands, certainly," Hoon said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
