British troops shoot dead southern Iraq militia leader

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Media: AFP
Byline: N/A
Date: 19 September 2006

BASRA, Iraq, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) - British soldiers shot dead a Shiite
militia commander in the main southern Iraqi city of Basra on Tuesday, a
military spokesman said.

"We were conducting a search operation in which we approched the house and
the patrol came under small arms fire," said Major Charles Burbridge,
spokesman for British forces in Basra.

"In returning the small arms fire, we killed the gunman."

A British soldier was wounded in the firefight, which took place shortly
after midnight (2000 GMT Monday).

The Shiite radical movement of Moqtada Sadr identified the dead man as a
commander of its Mahdi Army military wing -- Habib Jassim al-Ibadi, also
known as Abu Haidar -- but gave a different account of the circumstances of
his death.

"British forces behaved in a brutal manner when they executed this man at
the embassy complex," charged Shiite radical MP Aqil Abdel Hussein.

"We are shocked by this behaviour, over which we will not remain silent."

Burbridge maintained that Ibadi was killed only after he opened fire on
British soldiers conducting a search operation.

"We do strongly suspect him of having been involved in any number of
criminal activities such as murders in Basra," the British spokesman said.

In recent months, the port city has been riven with violence between rival
militias as well as criminal gangs involved in oil smuggling.

The palace compound containing the British consulate came under mortar fire
early Tuesday and rockets were fired at the Iranian mission. Neither attack
caused any casualties or damage.

Earlier this month, three British soldiers were killed in separate attacks
in and around Basra.
 
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