By NNN-KUNA
London : The British Army is investigating claims that a defective shell fired by British troops killed an Iraqi woman and injured three children, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
The illumination round is understood to have been fired in response to a militant rocket attack in Basra, but may have malfunctioned.
The MoD said Wednesday it learned of the casualties with “great regret and sadness.” An MoD spokesman said it was investigating the incident, which happened last Sunday, with Basra police.
He said: “It is with great regret and sadness that British Forces learnt of the death of a young woman and the injuries caused to three children.
“There is an investigation ongoing to determine whether this is a result of an illumination round fired on the evening of March 2 near Hyall Shuala.
“We are working with Basra police to investigate the causes and consequences of this incident.
“We do not target residential areas with artillery fire. We have strict rules governing our use of ammunition, which are aimed at ensuring collateral damage is kept to an absolute minimum,” the spokesman added.
The incident came just days after airman Sergeant Duane Barwood died in a rocket attack on the Basra air base.
He was the 175th British military casualty in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003.