Al-Sadr devotees killed a Danish soldier near Basra today…
Iraqis jubilate next to a burning Danish military vehicle near Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, May 14, 2007. A Danish soldier was killed and five others were injured by a roadside bomb Monday in southern Iraq, the army said. An Iraqi interpreter was also injured in the explosion, which occurred as the Danish unit was on a routine patrol in several vehicles near Basra, said Maj. Kim Gruenberger of the Danish Army Operational Command. The injured soldiers were in stable condition, he said. (AP Photo / Nabil al-Jurani)
There were IRaqi news reports that 3 Danish soldiers were kidnapped but the Danish command did not report any soldiers missing.
Global Incident Map and IRAQI NATL NEWS AGENCY reported:
IRAQ – Unidentified gunmen attacked a Danish patrol in Basra and kidnapped three soldiers Danish.
“Basra police announced today that unknown armed men attacked a Danish patrol north of Basra today and abducted three Danish soldiers.”
The Khaleej Times reported on the Danish soldier attack but did not mention that any soldiers were missing:
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 waskilled 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.
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