The governor of Iraq's southern Basra province says there will be no cooperation with British forces unless Britain apologizes for Monday's jail raid that was aimed at freeing two undercover British soldiers.
Mohammed al-Waili said the provincial council voted Wednesday to stop all cooperation until Britain meets three demands - apologize for the action, guarantee that it will not happen again and provide compensation for the damage.
Also Wednesday, hundreds of Iraqis demonstrated in Basra city against the British troop presence.
British troops raided the Basra jail, after they became concerned that two of their undercover soldiers had been arrested and handed over to a Shi'ite militia.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has said the raid will not undermine relations with Britain, although it has angered his government. He said he has ordered an investigation.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.