UK News 15-08-2003 British Soldier Dies In Basra Bombing who: British army spokesman Major Charlie Mayo what: Says British soldier died in guerilla bomb attack where: Basra, Iraq when: Yesterday snippet: "The British Army campaign in Iraq entered a dangerous new phase yesterday," says The Scotsman, "when a bomb killed an army officer and injured two soldiers. The attack, on an army ambulance close to Basra, was the first guerrilla-style operation against British forces in the south of the country since the war to topple Saddam Hussein was declared over." The bomb was hidden in a pile of earth next to a lamp-post on the outskirts of the city, says The Guardian. The two injured soldiers received shrapnel wounds which were not life threatening. The identities of the soldiers have not been revealed. "This was a direct attack on a clearly marked ambulance without any justification whatsoever," says Major Charlie Mayo, the British forces spokesman for southern Iraq, who noted that army ambulances are often, although not in this instance, used to transport Iraqi civilians. "We will work closely with police and the local community to identify and track down those responsible." "The attack is the most serious on British forces since six military policemen were killed in Majar al-Kabir, north of Basra, on June 24," says The Telegraph. "A crowd angered by British troops searching their homes for weapons stormed the police station where the six MPs were based." [... more]

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