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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Three British troops die in attack |
| 2005-07-17 |
| Three British soldiers, members of the 1st battalion of the Staffordshire Regiment, were caught in a blast in the troubled but largely Shia city of al-Amarah. It was not clear immediately who had planted the bomb, but if it was Shia radicals this would signal an alarming return in the area to the violence of last year that saw three British soldiers die as they battled Shia gunmen from the Jaish Mahdi militia of the firebrand cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr. The Ministry of Defence last night announced an investigation into the deaths as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, paid tribute to the troops' courage. Speaking at the Labour party's National Policy Forum in London, Blair sent his 'condolences and sympathies' to the families of the soldiers who were killed. 'The bravery of our armed forces is yet again underlined as they help Iraq and its people towards the democracy they so desperately want,' the Prime Minister said. About 600 troops from the regiment have been deployed in the area as part of Task Force Maysan, a battle group that includes a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks from the King's Royal Hussars, soldiers from No 1 Company the Coldstream Guards, and a company from the 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Wales. A spokesman for the ministry said: 'We can confirm that three soldiers have died from injuries sustained in hostile action. 'Two other soldiers were hurt, but their injuries are not life-threatening and they are being treated at a field hospital.' He added: 'We think it was a roadside bomb.' Task Force Maysan has been based at Camp Abu Naji, just outside al-Amara, which has a population of about 300,000 and was the scene of widespread violence last summer. The deaths bring the number of British personnel who have died in Iraq as a result of combat, accident or natural causes to 92. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 This is what thay get for not mashing Tater aome time ago. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-07-17 07:29 |