Three Killed in Second Day of Violence in Basra

[Nambe]

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters)

A foreign security guard and two Iraqis were killed in a second day of violence in Basra on Sunday in which British troops fired warning shots as crowds attacked vehicles and blocked streets with burning tires.

The British troops in Iraq's second city patrolled streets in tanks as hundreds of Iraqis went on the rampage to protest against fuel and power shortages, but a tense calm later settled over the city. Iraqi frustrations over basic services have been exacerbated by temperatures above 120 degrees.

The violence was some of the worst in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was toppled by U.S.-led forces on April 9 and occurred in a city at the heart of the mostly Shi'ite Muslim south, which has been relatively peaceful in the wake of Saddam's fall. Iraq's Shi'ite majority was repressed under Saddam.

Southern Iraq's British-run administration said the security guard, a Nepalese Gurkha working for Global Security, was killed by gunmen while in a vehicle delivering mail for the United Nations. Retired Gurkha soldiers from the British army are widely employed by security firms in Iraq. ---

[LauraK]

1. I just read a British release that said today was quiet in Basra.

Coverage from Iraq is a mess.