BAGHDAD, Aug 28: A British soldier was killed by Iraqi gunmen here on Thursday.

A crowd fired rocket-propelled grenades and guns at a convoy of British soldiers in southern Iraq, killing one and wounding another, the British military said on Thursday.

The incident brought to 11 the number of British soldiers killed in action since May 1, when major combat was declared over in the US-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sixty-four US soldiers have died from hostile fire over the same period.

The latest attack happened on Wednesday evening when a British convoy from the First Battalion of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers came to a roadblock that diverted it through the town of Ali Ash Sharqi, some 200km northwest of Basra.

Around 30 Iraqis confronted the soldiers, who got out of their vehicles, a spokesman said. Another crowd closed in on them from behind.

“The British soldiers fired two warning shots, and the crowd opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman said 10 Iraqis were arrested. The convoy returned to base with a helicopter escort.—Reuters