New security crackdown in Basra involves thousands of troops

Basra is Iraq's second largest city, and its only port.

BASRA, Iraq Thousands of Iraqi and British forces will start a security crackdown in the country's second largest city in a bid to rid it of death squads and stop mortar attacks on residential areas, Iraqi authorities announced Thursday.

Although the mainly Shiite city of Basra has not seen the level of violence that is plaguing the Baghdad, 550 kilometers (340 miles) to the north, it still suffers from violence — including attacks on British bases in the area.

Authorities also openly acknowledge that the local police force has been infiltrated by militia, and that corruption is widespread.

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune

Related Link:
Basra at Wikipedia