LONDON, Feb 3: Seven British soldiers will face court martial over the murder of an Iraqi civilian, Attorney General Peter Goldsmith said on Thursday. The men, who all served with a parachute regiment, will be charged with murder and violent disorder, following orders from the British army's prosecuting board, he said in a written statement.

The murder took place in May 2003 on a roadside in Al U'Zayra, in southern Iraq, the attorney general's office said. Mr Goldsmith named three of the soldiers as Corporal Scott Evans, Private William Nerney and Daniel Harding, now a civilian, adding the other four would be named once they have been informed of the charges against them. No date has yet been set for the court martial or a preliminary hearing. -AFP