British soldier killed by small arms fire in Basra

Source: Agence France-Presse

British soldier killed by small arms fire in Basra

Mon May 21, 3:55 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A British soldier and an Iraqi civilian were killed
in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday after a military supply
convoy was ambushed by gunmen, the defence ministry here said.

The soldier, who was not identified per ministry policy, was injured
during the attack and was evacuated to Basra Palace for treatment,
but later died of his wounds.

"It is with deep sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm
that a UK soldier has died as a result of wounds that he sustained,"
the defence ministry said in a statement.

-snip-

Local residents said earlier that the attackers, who used small arms
and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the convoy, were members
of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia which
has repeatedly clashed with British forces.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070521/wl_uk_afp/iraqunrestbasra_070521195507