Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    LONDON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- British troops have been sent back into Basra in southern Iraq just months after control of the southern city was placed in the hands of the Iraqis, the Sunday Telegraph reported Sunday.

    Up to 150 British soldiers are now "embedded" with Iraqi army units in Basra, fighting insurgent groups which now hold power in large areas of the city, the daily said.

    The paper said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown approved the move following pressure from the United States, whose military chiefs feared the restive southern city was on the brink of falling under the control of the Shia militias.

    The move comes days after British Defence Secretary Des Browne announced plans to withdraw 1,500 soldiers from southern Iraq this spring, which have now been shelved.

    The daily said senior defense sources have disclosed Britain's entire exit strategy is now in "tatters", and no further troop reductions would take place for at least 12 months.