The Iraqis canīt even coordinate their story.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -
Story 1:
Interior Minister Bayan Jabr disputed the British account. He told the British Broadcasting Corp. the two soldiers never left police custody or the jail, were not handed to militants, and that the British army acted on a "rumor'' when it stormed the jail.
Story 2:
The British said the soldiers had been handed over to a militia. The Basra governor confirmed the claim, saying the Britons were in the custody of the al-Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. "The two British were being kept in a house controlled by militiamen when the rescue operation took place,'' said Gov. Mohammed al-Waili. "Police who are members of the militia group took them to a nearby house after jail authorities learned the facility was about to be stormed,'' he said.
Story 3:
CNN: [National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie] CNN in a phone interview, "The multinational forces said when they arrived at the police station the soldiers were moved to the private residence of a militia leader. Our story is that this is an annex to the police station and used for detaining people, hence the British troops went into that location and freed them."
