Basra Explodes in Shiite Rage

"Unidentified guerrillas shot down a British Lynx helicopter in Basra on Saturday, killing 5 UK servicemen. The helicopter fell on a house. An large, angry crowd of Shiites gathered to jeer, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at British troops who arrived at the scene to recover the bodies. The British soldiers then opened fire on the Shiites, killing at least 5, including 2 children, and wounding 28. One of the British troops also got hit by shrapnel.

While the identity of the group that used a shoulder held missile to shoot down the helicopter is not known, the angry crowd appears to have consisted of Sadrists. Al-Hayat reports that the mob chanted, "All of Us are the Troops of the Sayyid [Muqtada]."

These were the worst anti-British riots in Basra since August of 2003, though there were also disturbances in late summer, 2005."
Juan Cole