British soldier killed in Basra

Updated 22.06 Mon Apr 23 2007

Keywords: basra, soldier, British

A British soldier has been killed by insurgents in Basra.

The Ministry of Defence said the soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was hit by small arms fire during a routine patrol in the Al Ashar district of the southern Iraqi town.

"The soldier's next of kin have been informed" - and have requested a period of grace before further details are released."

He was evacuated to Basra Palace but died of his injuries. No other soldiers were hurt in the incident.

An MoD spokesman said: "The soldier's next of kin have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released."

The MoD also confirmed that the driver of a Challenger 2 tank is recovering in the UK after being seriously injured when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

The incident happened on April 6 in a western district of Basra, the day after four British soldiers were killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle was also hit by a roadside bomb.

It was the first time a Challenger has been damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during British operations in Iraq.

As well as injuries to the driver, who has not been named, another of the remaining three-man crew suffered minor injuries.