British forces arrest five in Iraq

BASRA, Iraq, Aug 30: British forces said they arrested five people in Iraq's second city of Basra early today during a raid on the home of a ''leading terrorist''.

The 7,000-strong British force in oil-rich southern Iraq is confronting an array of militant groups from the Shi'ite Muslim majority who are vying for power.

''We raided the home of a leading terrorist in Basra and arrested five individuals who are currently held for questioning,'' said spokesman Major Charlie Burbridge.

''The terrorist who we were targeting is connected to militias both in Basra and other parts of Iraq. We are currently establishing whether one of the five is the person we're looking for.'' He did not name the individual.

Local residents said the raid was on the offices of a small political party, the Movement of the Gathering of the Iraqi Nation, a mostly secular, Arab nationalist group with a largely Shi'ite membership based in Basra.

Abdul-Zahra Jasim, the party's general secretary, said soldiers took 38,000 dollars in cash and confiscated computers, laptops, documents and passports.

Burbridge denied troops took money and said they seized long-barrelled weapons and large amounts of shotgun ammunition.

US, British and Iraqi troops have recently targeted Shi'ite militias blamed by Sunnis for sectarian killings, a charge their leaders deny. The US says communal violence between Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias now poses the gravest threat to Iraq's stability.

Reuters