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Soldier dies after Basra fighting Soldier dies after Basra fighting
(30 minutes later)
A British soldier who was seriously injured during heavy fighting in Basra has died from his wounds.A British soldier who was seriously injured during heavy fighting in Basra has died from his wounds.
The Ministry of Defence announced his death at the same time as it named a soldier who was killed in the same operation on Saturday.The Ministry of Defence announced his death at the same time as it named a soldier who was killed in the same operation on Saturday.
The soldier who died on Saturday was named as Lance Corporal Ryan Francis of 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh.The soldier who died on Saturday was named as Lance Corporal Ryan Francis of 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
On Friday, a third serviceman died in an accident in Basra. He has been named as Rifleman Edward Vakabua, 23.On Friday, a third serviceman died in an accident in Basra. He has been named as Rifleman Edward Vakabua, 23.
Lance Corporal Ryan Francis, 23, from Llanelli, south Wales, was the driver of a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle which was hit by a roadside bomb.
He was killed during a large-scale operation launched in Basra, aimed at defeating insurgents who had been attacking the Iraqi Provincial Joint Co-ordination Centre.
'Heart and soul'
A number of locations were searched and arrests were made, but troops came under attack from bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire.
Three other soldiers were injured in the operation - one of whom, from the 3 Regiment Royal Military Police, has since died.
The others are being treated in the British field hospital in Basra.
Lc/Cpl Francis, who was known as Franky, died instantly when his vehicle was attacked.
He was described as a 'professional, brave and committed soldier who was the heart and soul of his platoon'.
The British soldier who died in an accident in Iraq on Friday has been named as Rifleman Edward Vakabua, of 4th Battalion The Rifles.
'Deeply proud'
Rifleman Vakabua, a Fijian national from Suva serving in Mortar Platoon attached to 7 Platoon, B Company, died at the Basra Palace base.
The Ministry of Defence has not given any details of the accident, but said an investigation had begun.
The MoD said "Vaka" was a "quiet, shy and pleasant character".
Based in Bulford, Wiltshire, he was described as a team player who completed tasks without complaint or problems.
Captain Will Peltor, Rifleman Vakabua's Platoon Commander, said: "Vaka's death yesterday has hurt us all deeply: a friend, a cherished brother Rifleman, a proud son of Fiji - and one of whom Fiji can be deeply proud - has been lost serving our country on active service."
'Courage and selflessness'
The platoon soldiers paid tribute to him in a ceremony, during which his fellow Fijians sang.
Capt Peltor added: "It raised the hairs on the backs of our necks and was a fitting and wonderful tribute to a fallen friend whose faith, courage, selflessness and simple decency defined him and inspired all who knew him."
Rifleman Vakabua's mother and sisters live in Fiji and his brother is also serving in Iraq, with the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Rifleman Vakabua. His family are very much in my thoughts and prayers as they come to terms with their loss."
Fijian soldiers
The latest deaths mean the total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 159.
Of those who died, 123 are classed as having been killed in combat.
There are approximately 2,000 soldiers serving in the British Army from Fiji, a country where almost half of the population is reported to live below the poverty line.