April deadliest month for UK troops in Iraq since 2003

Kingsman Alan Joseph Jones of the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

BAGHDAD, April 25 (Reuters) - British troops in Iraq passed a bloody milestone this week with the killing of soldier Alan Joseph Jones, 20, a gunner on a Warrior fighting vehicle, who was shot dead by gunmen in the southern city of Basra.

A total of 11 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq so far this month, the highest number of casualties suffered by British forces in a single month since March 2003, when 27 were killed in the opening days of the U.S.-led invasion.

Analysts say that with British troops poised to begin reducing their numbers in Basra in the coming months, Shi'ite militias are increasing their attacks so that they can claim victory when British forces eventually pull out.

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