A number of people have been killed after Iraqi police stormed a mosque in Basra. Ali Muhammad, an Iraqi journalist, told Aljazeera that up to 16 people had been killed in clashes between the police and guards at the al-Arab mosque in the southern city on Saturday night. According to Muhammad, witnesses said Iraqi National Guards and policemen stormed the mosque after fighting in the area that had lasted for three hours. "All those inside the mosque have been killed," said Muhammad. It is unclear whether policemen were among the dead. A Sunni religious group, the Sunni Endowment, described the incident as police gunning down unarmed worshippers. Police, however, said they were returning fire against gunmen.