Three Britons die in Iraq attacks

US soldiers secure the green zone checkpoint after car bombing

The latest eruption of violent attacks in Iraq has left three Britons dead, a BBC correspondent reports.

Two of the victims worked for a US security firm Kroll, while the third worked for a private company.

A vehicle carrying them and an American civilian, who also died, was wrecked in the suicide bomb blast at a checkpoint manned by US troops.

The attack took place on the edge of the heavily protected "green zone" in the heart of Baghdad.

A spokeswoman for Kroll Inc said: "I can confirm there were four people killed in an incident today. It was a suicide attack on a convoy involved in routine personnel movement.

"Two of them were working for us and two were working for a client. Obviously our thoughts are with the family and friends of the people who were killed."

The company was "proud of the professionalism and the dedication of these people", she said.

'Momentum gathering'

The Foreign Office confirmed that three Britons had been killed but would not give any more information until next-of-kin have been informed.

There were no reports of any of the US troops manning the checkpoints being hurt in the blast.

The bombing formed part of a wave of violence in Iraq which seems to have been gathering momentum with the approach of controversial elections scheduled for 13 January, the BBC's Jim Muir said.

It came on a day when at least three other suicide car bombs and a number of other attacks claimed at least 30 lives throughout the country.