Are the british releasing a non-native species (Badgers) in Basra?

[Union Label]

I'm finding this a little hard to swallow that the British Government is responsible for this.

British forces in the lively Iraqi city of Basra are denying claims they are responsible for a "plague" of "vicious badger-like creatures which have attacked livestock - and even humans", the Telegraph reports.

Shaken locals have recounted chilling tales of rampant "ratels" - feared desert carnivores who normally dine on cobras and attack humans only when provoked. Sattar Jabbar, a 50-year-old farmer, explained: "I saw it at night attacking animals. It even ate a cow. It tore the cow up piece by piece."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/12/basra_badger_black_op/

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Define 'responsible'.

I seriously doubt they trapped them in the wild and let them loose in populated areas to cause havoc.

OTOH, between the twin upsets of global climate change and disruption of habitat by war, for which the brits are partially responsible, the natural patterns could be altered to bring them critters into greater contact with populated areas.