Chaos and fighting in Basra as citizens go on looting spree

SPORADIC fighting continued in Basra yesterday as British troops sought to control Iraq’s second city.

But with large swathes of the city in British hands after Sunday’s invasion, civilians crowded the streets, many looting from official buildings vacated by retreating Saddam loyalists.

British troops and local people were buoyed by reports that the body of “Chemical Ali” had been found.

Scenes of chaos filled the streets of Basra, as looters set about ripping the city’s buildings apart for scrap.

Young men were bent double under the weight of their hauls as they struggled to carry scrap metal, air-conditioning units and barrels of fuel.

The bridges leading into Basra, once the scene of a refugee exodus, were packed with traffic, and queues of up to 30 cars formed at petrol stations as signs of panic-buying set in.

Occasional gunfire could be heard in the streets, and few British soldiers ventured out of their Warrior and Challenger II tanks.

Iraqis waved and smiled as the troops poured in, but did not pause in their business of looting.

Behind them, fires still burned from the shelling of the city, and buildings could be seen smouldering.

“People in Iraq are no good, we have suffered too long,” one man said, adding: “Be careful.”

Moments later, the area was fired upon as the distinctive crack of machine-gun fire could be heard.

Another man, a former Iraqi soldier who refused to give his name but said he went by an English nickname of William, defended the actions of the looters.

“Saddam Hussein deprived us of everything. This is the result of the deprivation of Saddam himself, that’s what has caused this chaos, this mess,” he said.

The 23-year-old, a former English language student in the city, said: “I feel very happy because Saddam Hussein has vanished, he’s gone off, he’s our nightmare.

“There are some militia but the army will kill them.

“I used to be a soldier after I graduated from college, but when I first heard the President Bush address, from the first moment I heard it, I ran away from Saddam Hussein because I’m not going to die for him.

“Now, we are very happy that our freedom is being cared for by the US and the coalition.”

William explained that he and his friends were going to try to take the air-conditioning units from the college where he used to study, a building that could be seen burning on the horizon.

They would sell the metal for scrap to buy food, he said. “We are living in a state of destitution, most of the Iraqi people are living in poverty.

“I wish we could fight together with the coalition troops but we don’t have any guns.

“I think we will live a better life, whatever life we are given to live, it will be better than life under Saddam.”