British Troops, Militia Fighting In Basra

BAGHDAD, Aug 17 (AFP) - British forces clashed with Shiite Muslim militia in Iraq's main southern city of Basra late Tuesday, a military spokesman said.
"We can confirm that there have been a number of contacts between multinational forces and Shiite militia in Basra this evening," he said, adding that the troubles began at around 7:00 pm (1500 GMT).
The military said it had no initial reports about any casualties.
Earlier, two civilian vehicles were attacked by the militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr and destroyed, he said.
A military spokeswoman said earlier that three vehicles were damaged when a homemade bomb exploded in the city.