NINE British troops and several Iraqi civilians were injured in a revenge attack on their base in Basra yesterday.

Iraq’s most-wanted extremist said that the attack was in retaliation for the alleged abuse of Iraqis by British soldiers. A group led by Abu Musab alZarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist allied to Osama bin Laden, said that the “suicide attack” was revenge “for the harm inflicted by British occupation forces on our brothers in prison”.

The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment were injured in the incident by what is believed to have been a bomb hidden in a car.

It is the first evidence of the targeting of British soldiers since the photographs alleging abuse of Iraqi civilian prisoners were released by a court martial in Germany and published around the world.

One of the injured soldiers was evacuated to an American hospital in Kuwait. Four were taken to a British military hospital; the others were treated locally for minor injuries.

The Ministry of Defence was unable to give details of the attack, but local reports said that a car had approached the main entrance of the Shaibah logistics base about seven miles southwest of Basra.

Two British military vehicles tried to stop it but a bomb hidden in the car detonated at 4.20pm local time.

In an internet statement, the group led by al-Zarqawi said: “Three lions from the martyr’s brigade of al-Qaeda organisation of holy war in Iraq attacked the base for British occupation forces in Shaibah area in Basra. This operation is in response to the harm inflicted by British occupation forces on our brothers in prison.”

Three British soldiers, Corporal Daniel Kenyon, Lance Corporal Darren Larkin and Lance Corporal Mark Cooley from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, face charges including battery, indecency and disgraceful conduct at the court martial.

Michael Hunter, the judge advocate supervising the court martial, warned Tony Blair and other public figures to refrain from further comment that could prejudice the trial.

“I appeal that no public statements, if possible, should be made with regards to this trial,” the judge said. “I say appeal because I fully appreciate that there may be times when somebody has to make a public statement.”

Referring to Mr Blair’s statement at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on Wednesday that the photographs of abused Iraqis were shocking and appalling, he said: “When questions were raised yesterday of such immense public concern, the Prime Minister could not have sensibly refused to make a statement.”

But he added: “I ask that great care be taken by those who find it necessary to make public statements not to say anything that might prejudice the fairness of this trial.”

The pictures were released to the media on the orders of the judge. Statements similar to that of the Prime Minister were made by Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, and Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader.

No 10 said later: “Downing Street takes full note of what the judge advocate has said. We welcome his recognition that the Prime Minister had to respond to questions in the House, which is why we consulted the Speaker before Prime Minister’s Questions.”

On Tuesday, General Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, condemned all acts of alleged abuse by soldiers. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “As the head of the Army it was entirely appropriate for General Sir Mike Jackson to make a short statement, within very strict sub-judice constraints.”

The officer who reportedly gave an illegal order for British soldiers guarding Camp Bread Basket to “work hard” Iraqi looters captured at the food storage base outside Basra in May 2003 began his evidence to the court yesterday.

Major Dan Taylor painted a picture of chaos in the days after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime and he came up with the idea to punish captured thieves in an operation called Ali Baba. Major Taylor, the quartermaster at the camp, whose order that the captives should be “worked hard” was said to have contravened army rules and the Geneva Convention, has not been punished for his command.

Major Taylor said that he had a large area and huge amount of valuable goods to guard with almost a skeleton staff. There were 70 civilian workers but the main task of defence, he said, fell on the eight men who controlled access to the front gate.

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