Black Watch troops killed

2004-11-04 21:24

London - Three soldiers from Britain's Black Watch regiment have been killed only days after being redeployed to an insurgent-hit region of Iraq near Baghdad, a government minister in London said on Thursday.

"I very much regret that I can confirm to the house (of commons) that in an attack on British forces in the Black Watch area of operations, we have suffered a number of casualties, including three fatalities," Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told parliament.

"The process of informing their next of kin is underway."

Britain's ministry of defence confirmed that other soldiers had been injured, but said it could give no information on numbers.

The news is the worst possible start to the Black Watch's mission, which has seen them leave the relative peace of southern Iraq, near the city of Basra, to relieve US troops in insurgency-hit areas just south of Baghdad.

The US forces are expected to launch an assault on the rebel stronghold city of Fallujah, western Iraq.

Ambush

The move has proved highly controversial in Britain, with a number of MPs from Prime Minister Tony Blair's ruling Labour Party expressing disquiet at the prospect of British troops being dragged into difficult battles.

Ingram gave no details of the attack, but according to British reporters travelling with the Black Watch on a pool basis, the regiment was hit by a serious ambush on Wednesday night.

A reporter from the Times newspaper said that a Warrior armoured car came under mortar fire after attempting to retrieve another Warrior disabled by a roadside bomb 24 hours before.

Ever since British forces arrived at their new base, Camp Dogwood, earlier this week, they have come under rocket attack every day from insurgents.

- AFP