The British military's raid on a Basra jail on Monday highlights the uneasy situation in the south. In the oil rich city and nearby provinces, rival militias confront each other and the multinational forces in their midst in local power struggles.

The level of violence in Basra is low compared to Baghdad or Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland, but occasional reports of clashes and assassinations suggest that the general calm throughout the south represents not so much stability as a stand-off between armed camps, each with their allies among local police forces.