Four hurt in attack on British military base
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Four soldiers were wounded in a mortar attack on a British military base in Iraq today, the Ministry of Defence said.
Three of those hurt in the shelling had minor injuries and were treated by a military doctor at the Abu Naji base near the city of Amara, around 230 miles south-east of Baghdad.
A fourth soldier, who was more seriously injured, was taken to the military hospital at Shaibah, where his condition was stable, an MoD spokesman in Basra said.
The attack, in which a substantial number of mortars fell inside the base in the Maysan province, started at around 4.20am local time.
The attack was confirmed by Calee Gedoll, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman in Basra.
One of the British soldiers received a serious leg injury, but the other injuries were minor, said Holly Wheeler, an MoD spokeswoman in London.
On Saturday, two British soldiers died in a roadside bomb attack in Basra, bringing the British military death toll in Iraq to 111.
They were killed as they travelled in a convoy of armoured Land Rover vehicles at about 11.45pm local time.
A third soldier, who was believed to have suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, was being treated at the military hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base.
The latest deaths came after five military personnel were killed when their Lynx helicopter crashed in Basra just over a week ago.
The helicopter crashed into the top of a two-storey building after it was apparently hit by a rocket.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said the loss of seven British servicemen and women in the past week was "very tragic and very sad", but it would not stop progress in helping Iraqis to safely govern their own country without foreign assistance.
He said: "We shall continue to serve the Iraqi people in the way in which we have for as long as they, through their government, want us to be there."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments