15 Royal Navy sailors, marines seized by Iranians in Iraqi waters: Britain

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15 Royal Navy sailors, marines seized by Iranians in Iraqi waters:

Britain

48 minutes ago

By Barr

LONDON (AP) - Iranian naval vessels seized 15 Royal Navy sailors and

marines Friday in Iraqi waters, the British Ministry of Defence said.

The British personnel from the frigate HMS Cornwall were " engaged in

routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial

waters, " and had completed their inspection of a merchant ship when

they were accosted by Iranian vessels, the ministry said in a

statement.

" We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at

the highest level and . . . the Iranian ambassador has been summoned

to the Foreign Office, " the ministry said.

" The British government is demanding the immediate and safe return of

our people and equipment. "

A fisherman with a group of Iraqis from Basra in the northern area of

the Persian Gulf said he witnessed the event.

" Two boats, each with a crew of six to eight multinational forces,

were searching Iraqi and Iranian boats Friday morning in Ras al-

Beesha area in the northern entrance of the Arab Gulf, but big

Iranian boats came and took the two boats with their crews to the

Iranian waters, " the fisherman, who asked not to be identified, told

the British Broadcasting Corp.

The BBC said the British forces were inspecting a ship suspected of

smuggling cars. It did not cite a source for the report.

BBC reporter Ian Pannell on HMS Cornwall said the sailors had just

boarded a dhow when they were accosted.

" While they were on board, a number of Iranian boats approached the

waters in which they were operating - the Royal Navy are insistent

that they were operating in Iraqi waters and not Iranian waters - and

essentially captured the Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel at

gunpoint, " Pannell said.

In June 2004, six British marines and two sailors were seized by Iran

in the Shatt al-Arab between Iran and Iraq. They were presented

blindfolded on Iranian television and admitted entering Iranian

waters illegally.

They were released unharmed after three days.