Iraq judge seeks arrest of freed British soldiers

By Abdel-Razzak Hameed

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – An Iraqi judge has issued arrest
warrants for two British undercover soldiers who were freed
after a controversial British raid in the city of Basra, an
Iraqi lawyer said on Saturday.

Judge Raghib Hassan accused the men of killing an Iraqi
policeman and wounding another, carrying unlicensed weapons and
holding false identification, said Kassim al-Sabti, the head of
the lawyers syndicate in the southern city.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday the warrants
had no legal basis.

“All British troops in Iraq come under the jurisdiction of
Britain,” a defense spokesman said in London.

The whereabouts of the two soldiers was not clear.

British forces mounted a bid to free the two soldiers on
Monday, but were initially repelled as a crowd of angry Iraqis
petrol-bombed an armored vehicle.

Later British forces returned and armored vehicles broke
down the walls of the jail. The two soldiers were later freed
from a private house nearby, where they were believed to be
held by a local militia.

Basra authorities had said British troops killed two Iraqi
police during the raid.

Monday’s flare-up has harmed the relationship British
forces were able to build with local Iraqis in and around
Basra, a relatively stable city compared with other parts of
Iraq.

Officials said Basra’s governing council stopped all
cooperation with the British until they apologize, guarantee
that similar actions are not taken again and provide
compensation for damage inflicted during the operation.

An investigation into the events leading up to the rescue
is under way by Iraqi authorities and the British military.

“We will continue to work closely with the Iraqis and the
inquiry which the Iraq government has begun into the events of
Monday,” the British defense spokesman said.

Britain’s secretary of defense said he stood by the actions
of the forces on the ground.

“They did what they judged was appropriate at the time and
I commend them for the swift and decisive action in very
difficult circumstances,” John Reid said.

(Additional reporting by Matthew Jones in London)