British soldier injured in Basra explosion

A British soldier was slightly injured today in an explosion on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the British military said.

British military spokesman Captain Hisham Halawi said the incident was under investigation. He was unable to provide further details.

Witnesses said the explosion happened as the soldier’s vehicle was passing a petrol station. It was unclear whether the blast was caused by a roadside bomb.

Roadside bombs have been widely used against US forces in the north and central parts of the country, although Basra, which has a large Shiite Muslim population, has been relatively quiet.

On October 8, an explosion went off at one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces that serves as a British military headquarters but caused no injuries.

British officials said at the time that they believed the blast was caused by a small mortar.