Basra prison incident
Encyclopedia
The Basra prison incident is a controversial event involving British
troops in Basra
, Iraq
. On 19 September 2005, two undercover
British Special Air Service
soldiers disguised in Arab civilian garments and headdresses opened fire on Iraqi police officers after having been stopped at a roadblock
. They were arrested and taken to the Al Jameat police station.
UK armed forces later stormed the prison
with six tanks and breached the walls, freeing the two soldiers. A dozen other prisoners are thought to have fled in the confusion. An angry mob fought the operation, setting two armoured vehicles ablaze with petrol bombs.
The Ministry of Defence
initially denied storming the prison. In later statements, it is explained that the soldiers would have likely been killed, and that the police force had been infiltrated by illegal militia groups
.
The Governor of the province, Muhammad al-Waili, denounced the event as "barbaric, savage and irresponsible".
On 25 December 2006, British troops again raided the Al Jameat station, killing seven gunmen and freeing 127 prisoners being held by Shia militias there. They then blew up the building.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
troops in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. On 19 September 2005, two undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
British Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
soldiers disguised in Arab civilian garments and headdresses opened fire on Iraqi police officers after having been stopped at a roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
. They were arrested and taken to the Al Jameat police station.
UK armed forces later stormed the prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
with six tanks and breached the walls, freeing the two soldiers. A dozen other prisoners are thought to have fled in the confusion. An angry mob fought the operation, setting two armoured vehicles ablaze with petrol bombs.
The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
initially denied storming the prison. In later statements, it is explained that the soldiers would have likely been killed, and that the police force had been infiltrated by illegal militia groups
Private militias in Iraq
Private militias in Iraq include those known from modern history such as the Mahdi Army, Al-Qaeda and Badr Organization as well as some that have emerged in the post-Saddam period such as the Facilities Protection Service...
.
The Governor of the province, Muhammad al-Waili, denounced the event as "barbaric, savage and irresponsible".
On 25 December 2006, British troops again raided the Al Jameat station, killing seven gunmen and freeing 127 prisoners being held by Shia militias there. They then blew up the building.