British soldier unlawfully killed

L/Cpl Alan Brackenbury, 21, of The King's Royal Hussars (KRH), was killed instantly during a roadside attack in an area south of Al Amarah.

He was manning a gun on top of a Land Rover leading a three-vehicle convoy at the time of the blast in May 2005, an inquest in Oxfordshire heard.

The coroner said: "This was a terrorist attack, nothing short of murder."

Lt Benedict Bishop, also of the KRH, who was in the lead vehicle with L/Cpl Brackenbury, told the inquest the vehicles in the convoy "were not armoured because at the time there was a higher threat level inside Al Amarah, not outside, where we were".

'Jovial atmosphere'

The convoy was heading to meet a commanding officer of the Iraqi border police when the attack happened.

Lt Bishop added: "There was a jovial atmosphere on the vehicle, spirits were good. Then there was an explosion."

Several of L/Cpl Brackenbury's colleagues were injured in the blast.

L/Cpl David Simcock, who was on cover with him, said: "There was nothing I could do for him."

The soldier, who joined the Army in 2000, leaves behind his father Stephen, mother Janet, brother David and sister Faye.

Shortly after his death, Mr Brackenbury, said: "Alan loved being in the army - it was all he had ever wanted to do.

"He was immensely proud to be a soldier and we were immensely proud that he was a soldier.

"It is some comfort to us that he died doing what he loved so much."

A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded.