Angry mob sets tanks alight

2006-05-06 18:13

Basra - Two British military tanks and a Land Rover were set alight by angry Iraqis on Saturday, as troops came to recover the crew of a British helicopter that crashed in the southern city of Basra.

A reporter at the scene said hundreds of people had gathered at the site of the crash. A few minutes later, gunfire broke out between some armed Iraqi civilians and British troops. A mob fired rockets at the military vehicles.

Three vehicles were hit, said the reporter, and a soldier was wounded by shrapnel.

A photo-journalist at the site was also hit in the leg by a rubber-coated bullet.

A spokesperson for the British military confirmed the clashes: "There were clashes between our guys and the people there and one of our tanks did take a petrol bomb thrown at it, but I have no other details."

Dozens of British military vehicles had arrived at the site on Saturday afternoon.

Helicopters and two aircraft were hovering in the sky above the crash site, said the reporter.

He said the crowd were throwing bottles of petrol at the burning tanks and the Land Rover.

After a few hours, the military officers dispersed the crowd.

A British military helicopter crashed in Basra's central Al-Rabbat district on Saturday. At least two British servicemen died in the crash.

- AFP