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Basra base suffers 'large fire' Basra base suffers 'large fire'
(10 minutes later)
An indirect attack caused a "large fire" at a British military base in Basra, a military spokesman has said. An "indirect attack" caused a large fire at a British military base in Basra, a military spokesman has said.
Petrol caught fire after indirect fire hit the base near the Shatt al-Arab Hotel in the centre of the city. A petrol storage area caught alight after indirect fire hit the Iraq base, which is near the Shatt al-Arab Hotel in the centre of the city.
There were no casualties and "no impact whatsoever on operations", the spokesman said.There were no casualties and "no impact whatsoever on operations", the spokesman said.
The fire happened at 18.00 local time (15.00 GMT) on Thursday. The blaze happened at the base, which comes under regular attack, at 1800 local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday.
There are 7,100 British personnel in Iraq, largely based in the south of the country, mainly in Basra.
The government announced last month that 1,600 troops are to be withdrawn within the next few months with hopes that another 500 will leave by late summer.