Break-out in Basra, update

The British are now claiming that the soldiers had been turned over by the police to a militia, and therefore weren’t in the prison when they knocked its wall down. They also deny that any prisoners escaped through the hole in the wall. If you don’t like this British version of the story, don’t worry, there’ll be another one along in about ten minutes. None of the versions include any real explanation for what soldiers were doing dressed in Arab garb or why they shot at the Iraqi police. The central Iraqi government is giving an entirely different version than either the British or Basra officials, denying that any unpleasantness took place at all.