UK troops hurt in Basra explosions

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One soldier is believed to have been left seriously injured by the roadside bombing, while three others are thought to have suffered minor injuries.

A Basra police spokesman said that following the incident on Wednesday night, troops became involved in a clash with unidentified gunmen.

The Iraqi army was searching the centre of the city for the gunmen involved, roads were closed and sporadic shooting could be heard. News footage showed blood at the scene.

An MoD spokesman said: "It was a convoy of British troops who were transiting through the outskirts of Basra (on Wednesday) night on a routine mission.

"They weren't working in the city themselves. They were on the way to a different area of the province.

"We had two explosions reported. Our guys extracted themselves from the area."

He said the MoD would not be releasing any further details of the injuries but said there were no fatalities.

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, is about 340 miles south-east of Baghdad.

Britain handed control of the city back to the Iraqi government in December but there are still British troops in the area.