UK troops leave for peacekeeping duties in southern Iraq

They can expect a tense but calm situation, according to armed forces in the city of Basra, despite the recent rise in insurgencies across Iraq.

A forces spokesman in the city told BBC News Online: "The last 24 hours has been very quiet for us".

More than 300 soldiers from 1st Mechanised Brigade left their base in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on Thursday to relieve UK forces.

Iraqi casualties

The troops from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment along with Territorial Army soldiers from the Glasgow-based 52nd Lowland Regiment are part of a 4,500-strong brigade to arrive in Iraq during the coming weeks.

They will take over the running of southern Iraq from 20 Armoured Brigade.

A 4,500-strong brigade is heading for relief duties in the Gulf

As they left, an armed forces spokesman based in Basra spoke to BBC News Online about the current situation locally.

"The area is naturally tense but it is generally very quiet.

"Militant activities have been unorganised and sporadic.

"Coalition forces take appropriate action if they are attacked.

"With these activities going on there has been a number of Iraqi casualties - obviously we do not see the numbers."

British troops took part in a gun battle on Tuesday with followers of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr after they took over the governor's office in Basra.

The attacks we are seeing are from a very small and violent minority Armed forces spokesman US troops battle Iraqi militants

The British, who had surrounded the building, pulled out and, after negotiations between them, the Islamic parties and the governing council, the occupation ended.

Militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr are being blamed for the escalation of clashes since the weekend which has seen street battles in Baghdad and Falluja, which remains besieged by US troops.

Scores of Iraqis and at least 30 coalition soldiers have died in the clashes which are being seen as the heaviest fighting since Baghdad fell to US-led forces a year ago.

In Basra, the spokesman said: "In a general sense the attacks we are seeing are from a very small and violent minority.

From what we see on a daily basis we still have the consensus of the population of this area Armed forces spokesman

"The majority of Iraqis are looking for a secure and stabilised area.

"It is tense in Basra because there are a small minority of people who have the support of some extremists.

"We try to generate a free and democratic environment for people to go about their daily business and people are naturally scared of the extremists."

"The coalition forces in this area are starting to let the Iraqis run the area. It is not quite business as usual but we are trying to let them carry on.

"From what we see on a daily basis we still have the consensus of the population of this area."

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