Troops describe shower of petrol bombs during riot

• A British Warrior vehicle was petrol bombed during a riot in Basra

• The crew were members of the 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment

• A Basra jail was raided by British forces on the same day

Key quote

"I had to get out because, basically, we were in flames and on fire. We got out and I got over the back and luckily enough someone put me out." - Sergeant George Long

Story in full THE British soldiers who were pictured fleeing their armoured vehicle set on fire by an angry mob in Iraq told of their dramatic escape last night.

The Warrior vehicle was showered with petrol bombs after they were caught in a riot on Monday during a British raid on a Basra jail to free two undercover soldiers detained by local security forces.

Dramatic images showed Sergeant George Long tumbling through the flames as he tried to escape through a hatch.

Another soldier, Lt John Cliffe, was pelted with rocks and set upon by the crowd as he ran from the Warrior after trying to drive out of danger.

The crew, all members of the 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment, and some still showing the injuries of their ordeal, told how they ran into trouble when their gunners sights were smashed by the crowd.

They opened one of the vehicles hatches in a bid to see where they were going but one of the bombs fell inside the turret spreading the fire inside.

Sgt Long described the moments when he was engulfed by the flames. He said: "The crowd grew more hostile and we moved closer. They were throwing petrol bombs.

"Due to the scopes being smashed at the front, my hatches were open and one of the petrol bombs hit the top and came in on top of me and my gunner.

"I had to get out because, basically, we were in flames and on fire. We got out and I got over the back and luckily enough someone put me out."

The Warrior's driver, Private Ryon Burton, added: "The first thing I heard was the gunner saying his sights had been smashed.

"The second thing was a petrol bomb ... coming over my hatch and the platoon sergeant shouting the petrol bomb had actually gone in the turret as well.

"Once the petrol bomb had gone into the turret it had seeped down in the back with the troops in the back, and down into the driver tunnel, which is located between the turret and the driving hatch.

"So I was on fire from the back. I tried to lift the hatch opening device which wouldn't open, so I had to lean back, kick it and managed to get it to release.

"The hatch opened and I just jumped through the fire and got out. I couldn't breathe at all because of the fumes - I just needed to get out and was thinking about my life, basically.

"As soon as I jumped off there were a good five or six people around me, telling me where to go."

Once outside the vehicle they realised their gunner was still struggling to escape.

Lance Corporal Jo McCann described how they dragged him from the flames.

He said: "The gunner was still round in the turret. We went round the front and got the gunner out. People were putting him out and we got hold of him and dragged him away to the medics."

LCpl McCann said the television footage made the incident look worse than it was.

He added: "The Warrior's quite tough. Apart from the one [petrol bomb] that went into the turret nothing was seriously wrong with the vehicle. It was a bit hot to touch, but it wasn't too bad."

In an amazing act of courage, he then returned to try to move the Warrior out of trouble.

None of the soldiers were seriously injured in the incident and despite their ordeal they worked to clear the vehicle of debris before phoning their families back in the UK. One soldier was later flown back to the UK with burns injuries.

Sgt Major John Sheard, of the Coldstream Guards, who was the ground commander, said there were between 500 to 1,000 rioters, around three times more than the British government has acknowledged. "The crowd almost overran the Warrior," he said.

The soldiers said they were in negotiation with the crowd to try to calm the situation before the violence erupted.

The raid provoked a furious response from Iraqis in Basra, and Iraq's government has launched an investigation.

British forces, according to their account of the incident, eventually completed the raid, breached the walls of the jail before freeing the two undercover soldiers from a nearby house.