Tank driver seriously hurt in Basra

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The incident happened on April 6 in a western district of Basra, the day after four British soldiers were killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle was also hit by a roadside bomb.

Details of the attack on the Challenger only emerged on Monday.

It was the first time a Challenger has been damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during British operations in Iraq.

As well as injuries to the driver, who has not been named, another of the remaining three-man crew suffered minor injuries.

The tank was damaged but not destroyed, said an MoD spokesman.

He said: "This was not in any way new technology - the device involved was the same type of shaped charge that we have seen used very regularly.

"No-one has ever said Challenger tanks are impenetrable. We have always said that a big enough bomb will defeat any armour and any vehicle, and the Americans have lost many tanks in Baghdad.

"The driver of the vehicle was very seriously injured. Of the other three crew, one received minor injuries."

The spokesman also pointed out that Challengers patrolled infrequently around Basra, which could be why this was the first recorded attack on such a tank.