Two British troops arrested in Iraq

Two British troops arrested in Iraq

Two British troops arrested in Iraq

Two British military personnel have been arrested in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The two men were arrested in Basra, in the southern part of the country, shortly before violence flared up in the region, as demonstrators clashed with British soldiers during a protest.

An Iraqi official was told by the British army that the two men were working undercover and were arrested after attacking Iraqi police, Reuters reports.

The MoD has not yet confirmed that the pair, allegedly wearing Arab clothes, were undercover agents.

Meanwhile protestors threw stones at British troops and set two tanks on fire, according to Agent France-Presse.

British soldiers were forced to jump out of the burning tanks and withdraw from the scene of violence.

The violent demonstration was being held in protest at the arrest of a senior Shiite militant on Sunday.