British engage local leader for Basra self-rule

BASRA took a step towards self-rule yesterday after British troops asked a local tribal leader to set up a body to lead the population. The local sheikh, who has not been named, has been enlisted

The development came as British troops in Iraq’s second city began a massive effort to distribute water to the local population amid scenes of looting.

Colonel Chris Vernon, British military spokesman based in Kuwait, told Sky News: