Maybe the 2 Brits Special Ops soldiers were trying to see which..

[Postman]

Iraqi cops were working as double agents...

Could it be possible this was an under-cover operation to try and bust up the insurgent infested Iraqi Police Force in Basra?

[applegrove]

1. The Brits have done that for years. They always sneak into any

"guerilla" movement and disrupt it & create kaos. Then the insurgents stop trusting each other and the system is 'not so bold'. I have nothing against that.

Don't know if they were mistaken for the insurgents when they got into that firefight.

But - tis typically a british thing to go undercover and disrupt suicide bombers. If they didn't do that - they would not be "British at War".

[Robertwf]

2. My Experience with Brit Ops

Several years ago I was taking a train through Morocco and ran into a group of Brit army guys doing some desert training. They were a fun group--dressed in civvies to look like yer average tourist blokes--only thing was they had these matching duffle bags---I always thought it was pretty interesting that they had been sent to the desert at that particular time when nothing in particular was going on.

A less cynical person would think they were just testing the wigs. I wonder if they were human hair or synthetic...

[firefox]

3. What gives them the right to shoot policemen? n/t

[applegrove]

4. We don't know why the firefight broke out at first. Could have been

mistaken identity because the brits were undercover. And the tanks - afterwards - well that could have been rescue or protecting the whole operations.

Some of the insurgents have infiltrated parts of Iraqi society that is being rebuilt.

We don't know.