Police in Basra have detained 267 foreign "criminals" as Iraq's second city witnessed clashes between Shiite militiamen and security forces, officials said on Thursday.The city's police chief Jalil Khalil Shuail said the police detained 267 foreigners from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran who "infiltrated into Basra and committed crimes." Without elaborating on the nature of their crimes, Shuail said they had been detained over a period of time since June.
On Wednesday, Suhail himself escaped an assassination attempt by gunmen who fired on him as he took a tour of a local market. One of his guards was killed in the shooting.
The defence ministry, meanwhile, said there had been clashes between militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in recent days. Ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said the violence was "simple and the security situation in Basra was under control." "The incidents reported were tackled by our security forces, both the army and the police," he said.