British
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said the six were killed near
al-Amarah, 200 kilometers to the north of the southern city of Basra,
where the British forces in Iraq are based, without giving additional
information, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"There
have been two incidents today near al-Amarah. We very much regret to
confirm that in one incident, six British personnel have been killed.
Arrangements are in hand to inform their next of kin," a
spokesman for Blair said.
In
a second incident British soldiers from the 1st Battalion the
Parachute Regiment, patrolling south of al-Amarah, came under fire and
took one casualty, Downing Street said.
An
RAF Chinook helicopter involved in a quick response to the second
incident came under fire as it landed, injuring seven on board, three
seriously.
"In
response to the incident, an RAF Chinook helicopter carrying a quick
response force came under fire as it landed. Seven personnel on board
the helicopter were wounded, three of them seriously. All were
extracted by helicopter and are receiving treatment," the
spokesman said, adding that Ministry of Defense was investigating
whether the two incidents were linked.
Al-Jazeera
satellite channel further said that two military vehicles were
destroyed in the second incident.
British
troops have been in control of Basra, Iraq's second city, for almost
two months.
A
total 45,000 British troops took part in the U.S.-led war against
Iraq, according to AFP.
Four
Iraqis Killed
In
another development, U.S. forces gunned down four Iraqis in two
separate incidents in the town of Ramadi, around 100km west of
Baghdad, AFP said.
In
the first, a driver refused to stop at a U.S. roadblock forcing troops
to opened fire killing one person and wounding another, Sergeant Keith
O'Donnel claimed in statements to AFP.
Hours
later, U.S. forces opened fire at two cars approaching an American
military checkpoint.
American
soldiers claimed coming under fire from passengers inside one of the
vehicles.
They
opened fire killing one in the first car and two in the second, said
O'Donnel.
