Basra 'calm' after grenade attack

British troops struggled to quell an uprising in Basra this weekend

Coalition forces have restored calm in Basra after clashes with insurgents left seven British troops injured and at least two Iraqis dead.

On Sunday, a British patrol was struck by a grenade thrown from the roadside that hit a coalition vehicle.

Three UK soldiers were taken to hospital but were not thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

By Sunday night Basra was "relatively calm" after fighting on Saturday with cleric Moqtada Sadr's supporters.

Weekend of violence

There were also reports of more clashes in Amarah, a town to the north, on Sunday, following violence on Saturday.

British spokesman in Basra Major Ian Clooney told the AP news agency there were no British casualties but "a number of possible mortar positions" were attacked and destroyed.

He denied local reports that a British helicopter had fired on houses, killing four civilians and destroying several houses.

It is understood the vehicle hit in Basra had been travelling as part of a convoy.

Iraqi police were investigating, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said.

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The grenade attack came a day after troops battled hundreds of militiamen loyal to the radical Shia leader.

Four British soldiers were injured, two Iraqis confirmed dead and one captured during a day of clashes in Basra, with three more soldiers reported injured in Amarah.

Armed supporters of Mr Sadr attempted to seize key buildings and set up their own checkpoints across Basra.

The violence came after Mr Sadr's representative in Basra Sheikh Abdul-Sattar al-Bahadli on Friday offered money for the capture or killing of coalition troops.

He also said any Iraqi who took a female soldier could keep her as a slave or gift to himself.

The wave of violence was also seen as a response to newspaper pictures allegedly showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by coalition troops.