Five Iraqis detained in 1,000-strong raid

More than 1,000 British and Danish troops stormed five houses in southern Iraq today, using ground forces, boats, helicopters and jets in a raid that detained five Iraqis and confiscated a large cache of weapons.

The forces fought Iraqis using small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and a roadside bomb during the raid in the Hartha area on the outskirts of Basra, which began at 3am local time, causing no coalition or civilian casualties, said British Maj. Charlie Burbridge, spokesman for the coalition in southern Iraq.