Al-Qaida fighting for Iraq, PoWs tell allies

CAPTURED Iraqi soldiers have told British interrogators that al-Qaida terrorists are fighting on the side of Saddam Hussein’s forces against Allied troops near Basra.

At least a dozen members of Osama bin Laden's network are in the town of Az Zubayr, where they are co-ordinating grenade and gun attacks on coalition positions, according to the Iraqi prisoners of war.

It was believed that British forces were last night (Thursday) preparing a military strike on the base where the al-Qaida unit was understood to be holed up.