Three British soldiers killed in Basra

9.45pm

BASRA, Iraq - Three British soldiers have been killed and another seriously wounded in Iraq's second city of Basra, a British military spokesman said.

Locals said a British vehicle had come under fire from another car, veered off the road and crashed.

British soldiers sealed off an area of the southern city and witnesses said they could see a badly damaged vehicle behind the cordon.

"A serious incident took place in central Basra at approximately 0830 (5.30 a.m. British time) this morning. We can confirm that three British servicemen have been killed and one seriously injured," the military spokesman told Reuters.

"The casualty has been taken to hospital for treatment and the incident has been contained," he said. He was not immediately able to provide details of the incident.

Basra resident Sabih Naameh said attackers in a car had pursued and shot at a British four-wheel drive vehicle.

"I saw the British vehicle come past me, and another one behind it was firing. They went up on to the pavement, and smashed into a wall," he said.

Before this incident, at least 15 British soldiers had been killed in combat since US-led forces invaded Iraq in March to topple Saddam Hussein's government.

British troops control predominantly Shi'ite Muslim southern Iraq, which has been quiet compared to minority Sunni Muslim areas, where US forces come under almost daily attack.

But tensions have been rising in Basra, where a British soldier was killed when a roadside bomb hit a military ambulance earlier this month, a few days after riots erupted over power and fuel shortages.

- REUTERS


Herald Feature: Iraq