British soldier, 17 others killed in Iraq

Two of the soldiers were part of a raid in the tribal area of Garmat Ali, north of the city, to "apprehend individuals involved in terrorist activities in Basra," British spokesman Major Charlie Burbridge said.

He said one soldier was killed in exchange of fire during the raid which resulted in the detention of two "suspected terrorists" while another soldier was wounded but was "not in a serious condition".

The soldier's death brought to 114 the British military's losses in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.

Two other soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb on the road to Al-Zubair, southwest of Basra, exploded next to their vehicle lightly wounding them.

The incidents are part of a pattern of increased instability in the south, which had once been considered relatively calm compared with restive Sunni central and western Iraq.