WAR ON TERROR
Sunday, 12 November 2006
Four British servicemen killed in Iraq on Remembrance Sunday
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Four British servicemen have been killed following an attack on a patrol boat in southern Iraq.
Another three suffered serious injuries in the attack which took place during a routine patrol along the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra.
The boat was hit by an "improvised explosive device", said Captain Tane Dunlop, speaking from Basra.
Defence Secretary Des Browne paid tribute. It brings the total number of UK troops killed in Iraq to 125.
'Unusual'
Capt Dunlop said: "The use of improvised explosive devices is very common in Iraq, more often further north but there have been a number of such attacks in the Basra province and Basra city.
"It is slightly unusual in that this time it was targeting a boat, but they're usually used against any form of multi-national forces or personnel."
He said the injured servicemen had been evacuated to a field hospital where they were receiving medical attention.
Among the injured, at least one was suffering from potentially life-threatening injuries, he said.
There were no further details on the servicemen's units or ranks.
British military personnel have been patrolling the waterway, which borders with Iran and is considered a vital supply line, since 2003.
The attack took place at 0950 GMT (1250 local time) on Sunday and is thought to be the first such attack on a patrol boat.
BBC correspondent David Loyn, speaking from Baghdad, said: "It was quite an extraordinary attack.
"The boat was on the water with at least seven military personnel on board. We don't know if they were marines or soldiers."
Stark reminder
Defence Secretary Des Browne said in a statement that his thoughts were with the families of those killed.
"Today at the Cenotaph and across the country, we remembered those brave souls that have served this nation across the years," he said.
"That dedication is still evident and the events today in Iraq are a stark reminder of the perils they face."
The deaths came on the same weekend that troops in Basra and elsewhere in Iraq paid their respects to lost colleagues, to mark Remembrance Day.
In a separate incident, the US military says three American soldiers have been killed in combat while operating in western Al-Anbar province. And two suicide bombers have killed 35 people and wounded 60 at a police commando recruiting centre in western Baghdad, police say.
news.bbc.co.uk