Soldier killed on the 26th March was SAS trooper

Right again. The British soldier reported killed on March 26^th was a member of an active SAS unit.

A BBC article confirms what was reported here on March 26^th regarding the announcement by the MoD.

"BBC Quote: A British soldier killed in Iraq two weeks ago turned out to be an SAS man. What does it say about British special forces in Iraq, and the Anglo-American coalition's chances of defeating insurgency?

The press release said simply: "It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of a British soldier in Iraq today, 26 March 2008. The soldier died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained during a firefight in the early hours of this morning."

The soldier was from the SAS. The firefight also left four other SAS troopers injured. Two insurgents were killed but as many as nine civilians also died, including a four-month-old baby.

The engagement ended with an airstrike. The full story reveals a lot about the way the coalition is fighting the counter-insurgency war in Iraq - and the chances for eventual success.

MoD "sources" said the SAS man had died not in Basra, where most of the British troops in Iraq are based, but in Baghdad. In fact, this was untrue.

The soldier was killed further north, in a heavily Sunni area where a sizeable contingent of the SAS has been working in secret alongside American special forces.

The MoD has asked us (the BBC) not to give exact details of the location, so as not to compromise future missions, but it is clear that UK special forces have been operating far more extensively in Iraq than previously known. "

Full BBC story...

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