British troops kill Basra militia

140 British soldiers have died in Iraq since the conflict began

British forces have killed more than 10 Shia gunmen in an insurgent stronghold in Basra, southern Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The troops had entered the hostile Shia Flats area on Tuesday to search a house when they were attacked, said the MoD.

The soldiers held off gun and grenade attacks for more than two hours, before fighting their way back to base.

Lt Col Kevin Stratford-Wright, military spokesman in Basra, said "things turned nasty" very quickly.

"We get attacked on a regular basis, but this was certainly the biggest attack of its type for a while," he added.

News of the operation came as the bodies of four British service personnel killed by a roadside bomb in Basra last week were flown back to the UK.

Paperwork abandoned

Around 400 troops from the 2nd Battalion the Rifles and the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster regiment were involved in the gun battle on the western outskirts of Basra.

Lt Col Stratford-Wright told the BBC News website they had been acting on intelligence when they searched a house believed to be linked to the insurgency in the area.

"The individuals fled just as we arrived, leaving their meals on the table, but we found material that indicated they were involved in attacks," he said.

Their tactics were clumsy and that's why so many of them would have been hit Lt Col Kevin Stratford-Wright

"It was paperwork, but there's no way anyone would have that sort of paperwork unless they were interested in launching rockets and mortars."

Lt Col Stratford-Wright said the atmosphere in the area suddenly changed after two men were seen using mobile phones to apparently gather members of the militia together.

"Things were going really well, it was a pretty benign environment. People were waving, children were talking to the soldiers, but then clearly word came in and things turned nasty very quickly."

Assault rifles

The insurgents were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

As many as 20 may have been killed, but the MoD is still trying to establish whether any civilians were hurt.

An Iraqi policeman died in hospital after being shot by one of the militia and two insurgents were arrested.

Lt Col Stratford-Wright described the attack as "ill-thought out".

"Their tactics were clumsy and that's why so many of them would have been hit."