Soldiers caught in roadside bomb

Coalition forces have been the target of continuing violence in Iraq

Three British soldiers have been injured in an explosion in the Iraqi town of Al Amara.

The men, serving with the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, based in Kent, were driving in a Land Rover on Sunday night when a roadside bomb exploded.

An Army spokesman said one of the men had been seriously injured.

He is being flown back to the UK on Monday, together with two others from the same regiment shot during fighting in the town on Saturday.

The other two men injured in the blast are receiving treatment in Iraq, the spokesman said.

Troops ambushed

The injuries suffered by the two men who suffered gunshot wounds on Saturday were not thought to be life-threatening.

Their convoy came under fire north west of Basra. The soldiers, with the regiment's 2nd battalion, were travelling with the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps when they were attacked.

The soldiers caught in the roadside explosion on Sunday were from the 1st battalion of the same regiment.

The names of the men involved have not been released.

Grenade attack

The regiment, based in Canterbury, is attached to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders whose commanding officer was last week also involved in a security incident.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Gray's vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade which failed to detonate. The officer was uninjured.

Continuing incidents against both coalition forces and civilians have led to warnings of increased violence in the run-up to the planned handover of power on 30 June.

A pilot project by the UK to send failed Iraqi asylum seekers home has been suspended amid concerns over continued fighting.