British soldiers beat back protestors in Iraq

Guerrillas killed a US soldier in a bomb attack west of Baghdad and British troops used batons and rubber bullets to beat back a crowd of furious protesters in the southern city of Basra in Iraq yesterday.

A US military spokesman said the US soldier was killed near the flashpoint town of Fallujah west of Baghdad.

In Basra, a mainly Shiite city 550km southeast of Baghdad, at least one protester and two British soldiers were wounded in clashes that erupted when troops evicted Iraqis they said were squatting in a government building.

British soldiers with riot shields used batons to beat back a crowd of around 80 demonstrators.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq