Paramilitaries 'fire on 2,000 trying to leave Basra'

Civilians trying to leave Basra came under fire from Iraqi paramilitaries today, British military commanders are reporting.

About 2,000 people had been trying to get out of the beleaguered southern city , said Group Captain Al Lockwood.

"Members of the paramilitary followed them out of the city and commenced firing on them," he said. British Desert Rats from the Black Watch interposed between the paramilitaries and the civilians and opened fire on the militia.

There were no reports of civilian casualties, but the position was still unclear.

Yesterday, thousands of men, women and children trudged out of the city in a desperate search for food and water, returning before dark.

In recent days there have been reports of gunfire in the city and claims that the Iraqi irregulars have been trying to coerce regular army soldiers to fight by threatening their families.

British forces have ringed the southern city – which at a population of 1.3 million is Iraq's second largest – in hopes of eliminating units still loyal to Saddam Hussein and sending in humanitarian aid.

U.N. Secretary–General Kofi Annan has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if aid does not reach the city.

Meanwhile a leading British military spokesman told Sky News: "Basra (is) clearly nowhere near yet in our hands and we have no way at the moment of getting humanitarian aid into Basra."

Colonel Chris Vernon said allied troops had not gone into the city centre "for worry of collateral damage".

He said: "The key to Basra is to eradicate the Baath Party control and the irregular forces operating under their control there."

By doing so, the "hearts and minds" relief operation could then be put in place for the civilian people on the ground.

"Not easy, no time lines on it, but that's what we are working towards," he said.