Violence in Iraq claims 11 lives

A British soldier was the victim of an improvised explosive device

Violence across Iraq claimed another 11 lives on Saturday, including a British soldier killed by a bomb in the southern city of Basra.

Two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad killed seven people, including three Iraqi soldiers.

A gunfight between security officers and insurgents in the capital left two more dead, while Iraqi police colonel was shot dead in Basra.

The violence comes as talks are stalled on a new national unity government.

The British soldier, a member of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, was the victim of an improvised explosive device, the UK's Ministry of Defence said.

Three of his colleagues were slightly injured in the attack.

Talks on a national unity government have stalled as Sunni, Kurdish and secular parties say they will not be partners in an administration headed by the current Shia-nominated Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.