Bomb kills British security men

The vehicles were passing through Tahrir Square at the time

Two Britons killed by a car bomb in Baghdad were working for a UK-based security firm, it has been confirmed.

The men were employees of Olive Security, which has around 300 members of staff in Iraq, the company's spokesman said.

They were "providing security for personnel and assets involved in the valuable rehabilitation of the power infrastructure", he said.

An investigation is being carried out by security forces, he added.

Protecting workers

One of the dead men was named by the Foreign Office as 46-year-old Keith Butler, a former soldier.

Mr Butler had been a colour sergeant in the Parachute Regiment who had served in the Falklands War and Northern Ireland.

The second dead Briton has not been named.

A spokesman for Olive Security said that the company "regrets to confirm the death of two of its consultants who were killed in Baghdad on June 14".

He said that the London-based company "has contacted the families of the deceased and our thoughts rest with them at present".

The two dead Britons were protecting three foreign workers, thought to be French and American, who were working for the US power company General Electric.

We remain committed to the reconstruction of Iraq GE spokeswoman Iraq car bomb targets foreigners

They were among a group of at least 11 people who died when three 4x4 vehicles were blown up as they were passing through Tahrir Square.

In March, another Olive Security employee, former Colour Sergeant Chris McDonald, died while trying to protect foreign engineers working at a power station east of Mosul.

'Extraordinary measures'

Louise Binns, a spokeswoman for GE, confirmed the two Britons were protecting GE workers.

"Tragically, three employees of a wholly-owned subsidiary company of GE, Granite Services Inc, and two security contractors have been killed in a car bombing in Baghdad.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as the others killed and injured in this attack."

She said the company's work in Iraq would continue.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees and those supporting our efforts.

"We have taken extraordinary measures to keep them safe and we will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities to protect our people.

"We remain committed to the reconstruction of Iraq."

Granite Services Inc provides engineering and technical services to the power generation industry and is understood to be helping to re-establish Iraq's power turbines, which were destroyed during the war.