 Pte Jamie Kerr (left) and Pte Scott Kennedy died in Basra |
Two soldiers from Fife who were killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq have been named by the Ministry of Defence. Pte Scott Kennedy, 20, from Oakley, and Pte Jamie Kerr, 20, from Cowdenbeath, died in the attack in Basra.
They were serving with the Black Watch, the Third Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The bomb also claimed the life of a third soldier, Cpl Paul Joszko, 28, who was serving with the Second Battalion of the Royal Welsh Regiment.
A military spokesman said a fourth soldier had been seriously injured in the attack, which took place at about 0100 local time in the Al Antahiya district.
'Deep regret'
The injured soldier was receiving treatment at the military field hospital in Basra.
The soldiers had left their Warrior armoured vehicle in the south-east of the city when an improvised explosive device was detonated.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad said the troops had been returning to their base at Basra airport after carrying out a re-supply mission at their Basra Palace base.
A British military statement said: "It is with deep regret that we can confirm that three soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device this morning."
Pte Kerr lived in the constituency of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Mr Brown said he was "deeply saddened" to hear the "tragic news" of the three deaths.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the fallen soldiers, who died bravely serving their country," he said.
The soldiers' deaths were described as "appalling and tragic" by Scottish National Party MP Pete Wishart, whose Perth and North Perthshire constituency includes the Black Watch's regimental headquarters.
"Perthshire is the heart of Black Watch country and there will be a great deal of unease and sorrow in the forces community today," he said.
"I would just like to see all the Scottish troops returned home as soon as possible and an end to the growing list of young men dying in Iraq."
Dozens of tributes have been paid to Pte Kerr on his page on social networking website Bebo.
The deaths take the total number of UK troops killed in Iraq since hostilities began in 2003 to 156.
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Perthshire is the heart of Black Watch country and there will be a great deal of unease and sorrow in the forces community today
