NZ troops confined to barracks as fighting flares in Basra

6.05pm

New Zealand troops in Iraq's second biggest city Basra are confined to barracks after fresh fighting broke out yesterday between embattled rebel Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and British forces.

Defence spokesman Lieutenant Commander Andrew Lincoln said today all NZ troops were safe and well and would remain at their base until further notice.

At least two Iraqis were killed and three British soldiers wounded in yesterday's fighting, a British military spokeswoman said.

Hundreds of Sadr's Mehdi Army militiamen armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades took over several areas of Basra and set up checkpoints on the streets.

Bursts of gunfire and explosions echoed through the city, which has through most of the year-old occupation been far quieter than central areas controlled by US forces.

Meanwhile the Green Party said today that the abuse of prisoners in Iraq heightened the need for New Zealand to pull its troops out of the country.

Green MP Keith Locke said the Government could no longer ignore the fighting and other incidents taking place in Basra.

"New Zealand's good name internationally is being sullied by our troops being embedded in a British force that is being increasingly discredited by reports of brutality towards Iraqis," Mr Locke said.

More reports and photos of British soldiers mistreating prisoners were published in Britain today.

"New Zealand's troops are embedded in the United Kingdom's 77 Armoured Engineering Squadron Group, which has been involved in military action and taken prisoners who may be amongst those that have been mistreated."

New Zealand could be held guilty by association.

"It is embarrassing when US and British leaders continually list New Zealand as a coalition member, when the Iraqi people clearly want the occupation troops out of their country. The distinction our Government makes between our post-war involvement and that of the invading 'coalition of the willing" is obviously lost on Bush and Blair themselves and unlikely to be made by angry Iraqis."

Mr Locke said the negatives about the troops remaining now clearly outweighed the positives.

"The troops should come home now."

- NZPA