London, Mar 25: Britain reported today its second soldier killed in combat in the Iraq war, this time a member of Scotland's legendary black watch regiment.
A ministry of defence spokesman said that the soldier, from the 1st Battalion of the black watch, was killed in fighting overnight yesterday, near al-Zubayr, southwest of Basra.
"Next of kin have been notified," the spokesman in London said.
On Sunday, Sergeant Steven Mark Roberts, 33, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, became the first Briton known to have died in action when he was killed near al-Zubayr.
Roberts, from Bradford in the north of England, was married with a child from a previous marriage, the ministry of defence said.
A journalist travelling with coalition forces said the soldier, whom he did not identify in a pool report to other news media, had been fat ally shot during attempts to calm rioting Iraqi civilians.
The 1st Battalion of the black watch, equipped with warrior infantry fighting vehicles, is part of the 7th armoured brigade, one of the major components of the British contribution to the US-led war.
Two other British soldiers have been missing since Sunday when their convoy came under fire, while 14 perished in two helicopter accidents and two airmen were killed when their tornado bomber was hit by a US missile.
Bureau Report
