Pentagon: 15 British troops seized by Iranians - Focus on Iran - MSNBC.com

Pentagon: 15 British troops seized by Iranians - Focus on Iran - MSNBC.com

Pentagon: 15 British troops seized by Iranians
Soldiers seized during smuggling investigation, official says
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 8:16 a.m. ET March 23, 2007

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon official said Friday that up to 15 British troops have been detained by the Iranian navy.

The Britons were in two inflatable boats from the frigate H.M.S. Cornwall during a routine smuggling investigation, said the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident.

Earlier, British forces said there had been “an incident” in the northern Gulf after an Iraqi fisherman reported seeing up to seven British or American military personnel being seized by an Iranian ship.

“There has been an incident somewhere in the north of the Persian Gulf,” British military spokesman Major David Gell said in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, without elaborating.

He said he did not know whether any British or American servicemen were involved.

In January 2006, the Iranian coastguard stopped three Iraqi vessels Tehran said had crossed into Iranian waters, prompting Iraqi officials to accuse Iran of taking hostage nine Iraqis working on the vessels.

© 2007 MSNBC InteractiveThe Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17752685/