Edited severely.
A British soldier who was shot as he tried to calm rioting civilians in southern Iraq died yesterday, the first British combat death since the war began, the Ministry of Defence said. The soldier, whose name was not released, was shot on Sunday evening near Az Zubayr and died from his wounds. The dead man's next of kin were informed yesterday. It is understood they asked the Ministry of Defence to give them time before releasing the name so that they could inform all the man's relatives. The MoD would not release details of the man's regiment for fear this would alarm all the relatives of personnel serving in that regiment.
Thank you, soldier. |