- KUWAIT (Reuters) - British
military officials said on Tuesday they had no information on any popular
uprising in Iraq's second city of Basra, but added that they would do everything
possible to encourage such a revolt.
-
- "We don't know anything about a Basra uprising,"
said a British military source in Central Command in Qatar.
-
- British television networks have said there are reports
of an armed uprising in the city.
-
- A British spokesman in Kuwait said British and U.S. forces
wanted the people of Basra to attack soldiers loyal to Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein.
-
- "We'll help them every which way we can," said
British spokesman Chris Vernon, adding that British forces were looking
to weaken Saddam's power structure in the city and had captured a top official
of his Ba'ath party there earlier in the day.
-
- "We are helping them when we took out probably the
most senior Ba'ath party guy in Basra this morning. That will have sent
a shockwave through them," Vernon told a news conference.
|
