Arabic TV shows 'dead British soliders'

The Arabic satellite TV network al-Jazeera broadcast footage today of what it believed was two dead British soldiers.

The soldiers were said to have been killed and captured in fighting around the town of Al Zubayr, 15 miles outside the second city of Basra, which has been the scene of heavy fighting.

The channel also broadcast footage of what it said was two allied soldiers who had been taken prisoner.

Al-Jazeera had described them as British, but later said it was not clear and they could have been American.

It is the third time in four days that film of allied soldiers, captured or killed, has been shown on television.

The poor-quality amateur footage showed two bodies lying in a road next to what looked like a Land Rover.

One of the soldiers seems to have suffered chest injuries while the other's wounds were unclear. Both were filmed lying spread-eagled in the dust.

The footage, which lasted less than 30 seconds, also showed people climbing over the vehicle as the camera filmed the bodies. One man shifted one of the bodies around with his foot.

Two British soldiers are still missing after their Land Rover was ambushed on Sunday by Iraqi forces with a rocket-propelled grenade in Al Zubayr.