French secret agent killed in Iraq

A non-commissioned officer in the French spy agency was killed last week by a local militia at a border checkpoint in southern Iraq, the French Defence Ministry said today.

The agent from the DGSE, the counterintelligence agency, was killed on November 21 in the southern town of Basra, the ministry said in a statement.

The agent was not identified by name, and details surrounding his death were not immediately available.

The agent was charged with protecting consular officials for France in Basra, the ministry said.

French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie took part in a commemoration service for the agent in the southern French city of Perpignan on Monday, the ministry said.