British tank force smashed down the walls of Basra jail and freed two British undercover troops held there.

DEBKAfile

Another 150 prisoners fled the jail too.

The Basra governor has condemned the jail destruction as “barbaric.” The two Britons were held after firing at Iraqi police and killing one. In skirmishes in the town, 15 Iraqis were killed and two British tanks torched. Tensions have been high in the southern Iraqi city since British forces arrested a senior Shiite Mehdi Army figure.