[Previous entry: "Death Toll Surpasses 30,000 in Asia Quake"] [Next entry: "U.S. military in Paraguay unsettles South America"]

10/09/2005:

"UK forces 'destabilising Basra'"

The governor of Basra province has accused British forces of destabilising security following the arrest of 12 people over attacks against UK troops.

The men, some of whom are police officers, are still being questioned.

...The 12 detainees, some of whom are accused of supporting radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, are thought to include the director of Basra's state-run electricity company Odai Awad.

Employees of the company are threatening a strike unless he is released within 24 hours.

Mr al-Waili told the Associated Press news agency: "The British troops are responsible for destabilising security in the province.

"Recent random raids and arrests conducted by British forces...should have been co-ordinated with the Iraqi security forces and the governor."
bbc.co.uk

Iran denies British attacks link
...An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman denied the charge, saying it was a "lie" and accusing Britain of fomenting unrest in Iraq.

Speaking on Iranian TV, Hamid Reza-Asefi said: "This is a lie. The British are the cause of instability and crisis in Iraq.

"By drafting such scenarios they are trying to find a partner in their crimes."

He added: "From the very beginning, we have stated our position very clearly - a stable Iraq is in our interests and that is what the Iraqi authorities have said themselves on many occasions."