The Hindu : 6 British soldiers killed in Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2003

International

International

6 British soldiers killed in Iraq

LONDON JUNE 24. Six British soldiers were killed and eight others injured in two incidents in southern Iraq, said the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair's office on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Defence refused to say whether the soldiers died in an attack, describing it only as an `incident.'

The deaths and a subsequent attack occurred within a few km of each other in Amarah, a village north of the city of Basra.

In the second incident, troops from the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment patrolling south of Amarah came under fire, taking a casualty. A helicopter despatched to assist the ground forces came under fire as it landed, wounding seven people on board, three seriously.

The Ministry of Defence said all personnel on board the helicopter had been taken to a field hospital for treatment. It is investigating whether the two incidents are related.

"There have been two incidents today near Amarah resulting in British casualties. We very much regret to confirm that in one incident six British personnel have been killed," the Ministry of Defence said.

"In the second incident, troops from ... the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment patrolling south of Amarah came under fire. The patrol took one casualty and two vehicles were destroyed. In responding to the incident, an RAF Chinook helicopter carrying a quick reaction force came under fire as it landed. Seven personnel on board the helicopter were wounded, three of them seriously.

The 1st Battalion has around 650 soldiers in Iraq who operated mainly around Basra and the southern oilfields during the conflict. They have been in control of Basra, Iraq's second city, for several weeks where they have been able to patrol the city without helmets and flak jackets.

Several U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraqi rebel attacks since May 1, when major combat was declared over, but Tuesday's attack is the first major incident involving British troops since Baghdad fell to the coalition forces.

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