Basra accident soldier named

Rifleman Edward Vakabua, 23, of 4th Battalion The Rifles, died at the Basra Palace base in the centre of the southern Iraqi city.

An investigation has been launched into the fatal accident which happened on Friday.

Rifleman Vakabua, from Nailuva Road in Suva, Fiji, was serving in Mortar Platoon attached to 7 Platoon, B Company, when he died.

"Vaka", as he was known to his friends, was a "quiet, shy and pleasant character within the platoon", the MoD said.

An MoD spokesman said he was based in Bulford, Wiltshire, but was a Fijian national.

Rifleman Vakabua, who was one of the youngest Fijian soldiers in the Battalion, would be remembered as a "good, kind-hearted" team-player who would never complain when he was given a task, an MoD spokesman said.

"There was always a smile brimming under his quiet exterior and he was happiest whilst sitting at the edge of a circle of friends, laughing and joking with the others," he said.

The "extremely intelligent" rifleman, who enjoyed reading books on military history, had "come into his own" since arriving in Iraq, the spokesman said.

"He showed how a Rifleman, through hard graft, perseverance and a sense of humour can develop himself and pull out the results when they matter the most - on operations."