Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    LONDON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in southern Iraq on Monday morning, according to a spokesman of the Ministry of Defense.

    "I can confirm that a British soldier has been killed after a roadside bomb attack," he said, the bomb also wounded an unknown number of Iraqi civilians, who had been taken to a nearby hospital.

    The soldier, who was on a routine patrol, was killed in the explosion near the U.S. consulate in the city at about 9:30 local time (0630 GMT), he said.

    It is too early to reveal the soldier's regiment or further details about the attacks, he said. "As with any such incident, it will be the subject of a thorough investigation."

    The death brings the total number of British troops killed in Iraq to 131. Some 7,500 British troops are currently based in Basra.