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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Fresh clashes break out in Basra | Fresh clashes break out in Basra |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Reports from the Iraqi city of Basra say fresh fighting has erupted between government forces and local militia. | Reports from the Iraqi city of Basra say fresh fighting has erupted between government forces and local militia. |
| Iraqi Army units, supported by US and UK forces, sealed off the central Hayania district and conducted a weapons search. | Iraqi Army units, supported by US and UK forces, sealed off the central Hayania district and conducted a weapons search. |
| An Iraqi commander called it a minor operation, but local reports say it met fierce resistance. | An Iraqi commander called it a minor operation, but local reports say it met fierce resistance. |
| Hayania is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army, and was at the centre of clashes that shook Basra three weeks ago. | |
| The BBC's Crispin Thorold, in Baghdad, said the latest operation in Basra included a show of force by US and UK forces, who pounded a deserted area of the district with artillery. | |
| The field commander of Iraqi forces in Baghdad, Lt Gen Mohan Furaiji, confirmed that Iraqi Army units had entered Hayania and were conducting searches for illegally held weapons. | The field commander of Iraqi forces in Baghdad, Lt Gen Mohan Furaiji, confirmed that Iraqi Army units had entered Hayania and were conducting searches for illegally held weapons. |
| He said local people had mostly been supportive, but admitted there had been "some opposition". | He said local people had mostly been supportive, but admitted there had been "some opposition". |
| However, local sources spoke of heavy clashes. | However, local sources spoke of heavy clashes. |
| They report continued sporadic fighting. | They report continued sporadic fighting. |
| Basra was the scene of intense fighting some three weeks ago, after Iraqi forces made an attempt to disarm militias operating in the city. | |
| Operation criticised | |
| That operation ground to a halt when the army faced considerable resistance from the militias, including the Mehdi Army, which is loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr. | |
| The fighting spread to various parts of Iraq, hundreds of people were killed and thousands of civilians were trapped in their homes for days on end. | |
| The militias were never disarmed, only promising to take their weapons off the streets. | |
| The operation was criticised by US commanders as poorly planned and as failing to achieve its stated aims. | |
| Gen Furaiji, the architect of the operation, was moved back to Baghdad, but the Iraqi government insisted he was not being fired. |