Shia militiamen attacked Danish troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra killing 1 and wounding 5

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http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/May/focusoniraq_May88.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

14 May 2007



BASRA, Iraq - Shia militiamen attacked Danish troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday, killing one of the soldiers and leaving an armoured personnel carrier ablaze.

A Danish military spokesman in Copenhagen confirmed that one soldier was killed and five wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

Local Iraqis gathered round the blazing vehicle to cheer and dance, one of them waving a soot-blackened military helmet in the air. Residents said the convoy had been hit by a bomb and automatic fire.

The clash erupted at about 1:00 pm (0900 GMT). British forces based in Basra rushed to support their Danish allies. There were no British casualties and the situation was brought under control within three hours, said Major David Gell.

Local residents told AFP that the attackers were members of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia.