Danish soldier killed in Iraq clash

A Danish soldier died after being shot during a gun battle with armed Iraqis whose truck had been stopped during a routine patrol in southern Iraq, Denmark’s army command said today.

The soldier was the first Dane to be killed in Iraq since Denmark sent a contingent of about 400 soldiers this summer to join the stabilisation force in Basra, in southern Iraq.

Two Iraqis were killed in yesterday‘s shooting, one was wounded and six were arrested.

No other Danes were reported injured. The Danish soldier’s unit was checking a truck near Basra when armed Iraqis inside opened fire, officials said.

The soldier was taken by helicopter to a British field hospital in Shaibah, where he died.

The Danish contingent is based in the Basra region, controlled mostly by British troops. It includes a light infantry unit, medics and military police.

The Danish government supported the invasion of Iraq, but the public was divided with many large peace rallies held in Copenhagen.

Denmark contributed militarily to the war, although its efforts were mostly symbolic: A navy vessel and a submarine for patrol missions in the Persian Gulf.