http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1964592005
BRITISH soldiers freed two comrades in a dramatic operation last night just hours after the men, believed to be with an undercover special forces unit, were arrested on charges of shooting two Iraqi policemen.
Witnesses and Iraqi officials claimed British troops backed by up to ten tanks smashed down the walls of the central jail in the southern city of Basra and freed the two men.
An Iraqi television cameraman who lives across the street from the jail said about 150 Iraqi prisoners also fled as British troops stormed inside and rescued their comrades.
Mohammed al-Waili, the governor of the province, described the British raid as "barbaric, savage and irresponsible".
"A British force of more than ten tanks backed by helicopters attacked the central jail and destroyed it. This is an irresponsible act," Mr al-Waili said, adding that the British force had spirited the prisoners away to an unknown location.
The Ministry of Defence was last night insisting that the release of the two soldiers had been secured through negotiation and not by force, although reports suggested damage had been caused to the jail. An MoD official said a wall had been demolished "by accident".
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Officials denied the reports that its troops made a smash and grab raid to free their captured colleagues.
"We've heard nothing to suggest we stormed the prison," an MoD spokesman said. "We understand there were negotiations."
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