Iraq-British relationship untainted (in the green zone and London)

reutersalertnet: Basra raid will not taint Iraq-UK ties -Iraq PM

A dispute over a British raid to free soldiers held in the southern Iraqi city of Basra will not affect relations between the two countries, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said on Wednesday.

Addressing a news conference after meeting British Defence Secretary John Reid, Jaafari said he did not yet have full details of Monday's incident but had ordered a full inquiry.

"It will not affect the relationship between Iraq and Britain," he said.

British forces raided an Iraqi jail on Monday to free two undercover soldiers who were detained by Iraqi security forces in Basra following a firefight.

In the raid, British armoured vehicles crushed the walls of the jail before troops rescued the two undercover soldiers said by the British to have been held by a militia group who had gained custody of them from police.

Iraq disputed the British military's account. Interior Minister Bayan Jabor told the BBC the men had never left police custody and were not handed to militants [db emphasis]. Basra, a mainly Shi'ite Muslim city, has experienced a surge in militia activity over the past nine months, with armed Shi'ite factions vying for influence in the security forces and the local council. Link