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21/11/2005
British soldier killed in Iraq explosion
A British soldier has been killed and four others seriously injured in a roadside bomb blast in the southern Iraq city of Basra.
The attack happened at around 12:30pm local time, during a routine patrol in the heart of the city.
The latest killing brings the number of British soldiers killed in Iraq to 98, since the start of the war in 2003.
Army spokesperson Major Steve Melborune said that the explosion had been caused by a roadside bomb, but that no further details were known about the attack. Asked whether insurgents could have carried out the attack, Maj Melbourne said: “We don’t really have a problem with insurgents. It is more the terrorist elements. These are very small groups that operate in the area.”
There has been speculation that the explosion might have been caused by a new type of sophisticated explosive device, believed to be responsible for the deaths of eight British soldiers in the area since the summer.
The devices, which use infrared triggers and are capable of piercing armour are believed to have been developed in Iran. Recently, the British government accused Iran of supplying the devices to terrorist elements in Iraq – a charge that has been denied by the Iranians.
(KMcA/SP)
The attack happened at around 12:30pm local time, during a routine patrol in the heart of the city.
The latest killing brings the number of British soldiers killed in Iraq to 98, since the start of the war in 2003.
Army spokesperson Major Steve Melborune said that the explosion had been caused by a roadside bomb, but that no further details were known about the attack. Asked whether insurgents could have carried out the attack, Maj Melbourne said: “We don’t really have a problem with insurgents. It is more the terrorist elements. These are very small groups that operate in the area.”
There has been speculation that the explosion might have been caused by a new type of sophisticated explosive device, believed to be responsible for the deaths of eight British soldiers in the area since the summer.
The devices, which use infrared triggers and are capable of piercing armour are believed to have been developed in Iran. Recently, the British government accused Iran of supplying the devices to terrorist elements in Iraq – a charge that has been denied by the Iranians.
(KMcA/SP)
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