British soldiers believe they have the upper hand after seizing up to 500 mortar rounds from militants in southern Iraq. Acting on intelligence, around 250 soldiers from 1 Yorkshire Battlegroup carried out dawn raids in Az Zubayr, near Basra. Ammunition, light rockets, bomb-making paraphernalia, radio equipment and timer units were discovered at a house. Around 500 mortar rounds were later seized from a compound where troops had earlier spotted men transferring weapons into two vehicles.
Lieutenant Jamie Metcalfe, of 1 Yorkshire Battlegroup, said of Saturday's early-morning operation: "We certainly never expected to find what we did. The fact that we found such a large amount of ammunition that could be used for either mortar attacks or for producing improvised explosive devices means we have certainly put them on the back foot.
"The men we have detained will be taken to a detention facility where they will be processed by the Iraqi judicial system."
The battlegroup, made up of soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment and 38 (Seringapatam) Battery 40 Regt Royal Artillery, has been in Iraq since October last year.