By Sam Dagher
Iraqi and American troops seized a rocket launcher loaded with about a dozen Iranian-made rockets aimed at an American base in the southern city of Basra, Iraqi officials said Tuesday. The United States military said in a statement that Iraqi security forces confiscated 16 rockets and arrested three in connection with the operation without giving further details. A spokesman for the Basra police force, which took part in the operation, said that a rocket launcher loaded with 13 Grad rockets, positioned on the back of a pickup truck. Three American soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on their base in Basra last month. In April, American troops took responsibility for southern Iraq, including Basra, from departing British forces.
