Mohammed al-Waili has said: “The governing council met… and decided to stop all co-operation with the British until they meet three demands.” Listing his wishes, he said: “To apologise for what happened, to guarantee that it does not happen again, and third, to provide some compensation for all the damage they did during the operation.”
He has also demanded compensation for the families of those whom the Iraqis claim were killed during the Army operation. The city council also wants the two British soldiers who were rescued to be handed back to the Iraqi police for interrogation.
Britain has defended its action, saying the soldiers were handed to militiamen by rogue elements in the police…The Army said the two soldiers were taken by militants after the police ignored an order from the interior ministry to release them, but Interior Minister Baqir Solagh Jabr has denied this. Anti-British demonstrations continued in [Basra] on Wednesday, according to BBC correspondents.
