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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| UK soldier killed in Iraq attack | UK soldier killed in Iraq attack |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A British soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment has been killed in Basra, southern Iraq. | A British soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment has been killed in Basra, southern Iraq. |
| The Ministry of Defence said the soldier died as a result of a rocket or mortar attack on the Army's Basra Palace base on Saturday. | The Ministry of Defence said the soldier died as a result of a rocket or mortar attack on the Army's Basra Palace base on Saturday. |
| The soldier's next of kin have been informed, the MoD said. | The soldier's next of kin have been informed, the MoD said. |
| The death brings the total number of British service personnel killed in Iraq to 163, with 127 of those killed in combat. | The death brings the total number of British service personnel killed in Iraq to 163, with 127 of those killed in combat. |
| The soldier was on attachment to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. | |
| 'Imprecise science' | |
| Major Mike Shearer, British military spokesman in Basra, explained to BBC News 24 the term "indirect fire", which is the official cause of the soldier's death. | |
| He said: "Indirect fire means that there... will be a fire base that cannot have eyes on to the area in which they exactly want to land their munitions. | |
| "So in many ways, if you don't have eyes on to that arena, it does become a fairly imprecise science, which means that in many ways it's indiscriminate." | |
| The MoD said that for operational security reasons it was unable to give any further details about the soldier's death. | The MoD said that for operational security reasons it was unable to give any further details about the soldier's death. |
| It came on the same day that three RAF servicemen killed in a mortar attack on their Iraqi base on Thursday were named. | It came on the same day that three RAF servicemen killed in a mortar attack on their Iraqi base on Thursday were named. |
| They were Matthew Caulwell, Christopher Dunsmore and Peter McFerran, who were all Senior Aircraftsmen. | They were Matthew Caulwell, Christopher Dunsmore and Peter McFerran, who were all Senior Aircraftsmen. |