Here are the key paragraphs from the story:
"According to military intelligence officials, Iraqi troops in the city have turned mortar fire on their own civilians in an attempt to crush the unrest.
"Journalist Richard Gaisford, who is with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards just outside Basra, says the British troops are bombarding the mortar positions in an effort to support the uprising."
story at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2886235.stm>.
Dan
On Tue, 25 Mar 2003 14:04:39 -0500, you wrote:
>mike larkin wrote:
>
>>This phrase is running across the BBC web tickler at:
>>http://news.bbc.co.uk. There's no linked article; not
>>even sure what it means; uprising against Saddam?
>>Against the U.S./British?
>>
>>Has anyone heard about this?
>
>Hey, it was good for stox...
>
>Doug
>
>----
>
>Stocks Up on Unconfirmed Basra Reports
>49 minutes ago
>
>By Haitham Haddadin
>
>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rallied at midday on Tuesday, as
>investors welcomed an unconfirmed report of an uprising against
>Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s forces in southern Iraq (news -
>web sites).
>
>Market watchers said Wall Street had reacted positively to a Sky News
>report of an anti-Saddam uprising in Basra. However, a British
>military spokesman said he had no information on any uprising in the
>southern Iraqi city of Basra.
>
>"There was a headline saying there was a popular uprising in Basra,"
>said James Caron, fixed income strategist at Merrill Lynch.
>
>"Who knows if it's going to be confirmed or if it's true. As far as
>the market is concerned right now they just got that headline and
>they are looking at it. That's helped the stock market and that's
>pushing bond prices lower," he added.
>
>"Sky reports there's a popular uprising in Basra, where the military
>has had some difficulty," said Keith Keenan, vice president of
>institutional trading at brokerage Wall Street Access. "That's good
>news."
>
>A U.N. spokesman said a top official of Saddam's Baath Party was
>captured in the city.
>
>[...]