Three British soldiers died in Iraq's second city Basra today when the convoy they were travelling in was ambushed by gunmen.
The attack occurred as the uniformed soldiers, who were armed, made a routine journey through Basra in two vehicles, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
The assault, which took place early this morning, has left a fourth soldier in hospital with serious injuries.
Eyewitness reports at the scene said a bomb was thrown at the troops' vehicles and that they were shot at by assailants in a red pick-up truck.
An investigation has been launched into the deaths, which come less than two weeks after the last combat killing of a British soldier.
British troops have cordoned off part of Iraq's southern city while troops stop and search trucks in the area, according to reports.
The MoD said that the incident, which took place at around 8.30am local time (5.30 a.m. Irish time), has been contained.
The deaths take the toll to ten killed in combat since US President George W Bush declared major fighting over on May 1st.
The city has been relatively peaceful since Saddam Hussein's regime fell on April 9th, but a large swathe of the country north and west of Baghdad, the so-called "Sunni Triangle", has been the site of a bloody guerrilla war that has taken the lives of 65 US soldiers since May 1st.
The attack comes as Britain and the US are seeking to increase the number of countries contributing troops to Iraq, and follows violent riots earlier this month in the city over fuel and power shortages.
Before then it had been one of the quietest cities in the country and calm had been restored in recent days.