British Artillery attack in Basra causes fire.

British strike causes Basra blaze Sat Aug 4, 2:42 PM ET

So if fire is identified as coming from an area it is OK to use artillery. This is bound to cause an increase in civilian casualties as well as considerable property damage. Iraq is filled with ruined buildings it seems.



BASRA, Iraq (AFP) - British artillery fire on Saturday slammed into a disused oil facility in Iraq's southern city of Basra, causing an extensive blaze and sending thick black smoke into the air, the military said.



The strike was ordered after militiamen attacked a joint coordination centre used by British and Iraqi forces in the city, and their firing point was identified, British military spokesman Major Mike Shearer told AFP.

"This afternoon, the multi-national force in the southeast returned fire against a rogue militia following an indirect fire attack on a provisional joint coordination centre in Basra," he said.

"The multi-national force fire hit a disused oil facility that subsequently caught fire," Shearer said, suggesting that "residual oil left in the area" might explain the severity of the blaze.

"A decision to use artillery fire in this part of the city is not taken lightly. We identified a rogue militia firing point that was used for the attack. As a result we took the most appropriate course of action," he said.

Major Rafaa Mohammed of Basra's local police said a fire had broken out at a warehouse next to an oil products company following a British attack.

"A large fire broke out at a warehouse next to an oil products company. Fire fighters are now trying to extinguish the fire," he told AFP.