UK soldier killed in Iraq firefight

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The soldier died in a firefight in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

It is understood the soldier was not killed in Basra, the main base of British operations. Sources said he died in Baghdad.

His next of kin have been informed and have asked for their privacy to be respected.

The death brings the total number of British military casualties in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003 to 176.

The family have asked that no further information about the soldier be released.

Officially, British soldiers are not involved in combat operations in Iraq. In December British forces withdrew to an airbase outside Basra, which they had patrolled for nearly five years.

But in recent days US and Iraqi forces have been engaged in fierce fighting against Shiite militia both in Baghdad and Basra.

The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on whether special forces troops were engaged in these operations.

The attacks have left 15 dead in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City in recent days. Nationwide, some 300 people have been wounded, 200 of them in Basra.