Basra blast targets British convoy

A bomb exploded outside the complex of the British and American consulates in the southern Iraqi city of Basra today.

There were no casualties reported, said Police Captain Mushtaq Taleb.

The bomb, planted in a bin about 30 yards outside the fence of the complex, blew up as a British convoy of three civilian cars drove out, Taleb said.

The American and British consulates in Basra are based inside one of the palaces of former president Saddam Hussein.