Army probes death of Iraqi woman

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7277874.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The British army is investigating claims an Iraqi woman was killed and three children wounded by a defective shell fired by UK troops in Basra.

An MoD spokesman said it learned of the casualties with "regret and sadness".

He added an inquiry was underway to establish whether the incident was caused by an illumination round fired near the Hyall Shuala area on 2 March.

It comes just days after airman Sgt Duane Barwood died when Basra air station was shelled.

'Causes and consequences'

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt said the shells, which are said to have killed the woman, were fired in response to an insurgent rocket attack.

She added that illumination rounds are supposed to release a flare in mid-air, but one may have malfunctioned.

The Ministry of Defence insisted that forces did not target civilian areas with artillery fire.

The spokesman said: "We have strict rules governing our use of ammunition, which are aimed at ensuring that collateral damage is kept to an absolute minimum.

"We are working with Basra police to investigate the causes and consequences of this incident."

Attacks on British forces in southern Iraq had dropped dramatically after British troops left Basra Palace in the centre of the city for the airbase last autumn.

But they increased again in early 2008, with more than 20 rockets fired at the base in one 24-hour period in February.

On 29 February, Sgt Duane Barwood was killed in another rocket attack by insurgents.

He was the 175th British serviceman to die in Iraq since 2003.

However, a military spokesman in Basra says the renewed ceasefire declared late last month by the leader of the main insurgent group, the Jaish al Mahdi, has brought a period of relative quiet to the air base, as British forces approach the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.