A British soldier who died after a raid to arrest suspected insurgents in Iraq was a member of the SAS, it has been reported.
The sergeant was shot on Friday after members of the elite regiment were called upon to storm a house in Basra, according to The Sun.
He was taken to a nearby military hospital by helicopter but later died of his injuries.
The raid, which also involved about 200 troops providing back up, had been planned following weeks of surveillance on the house.
Seven people were arrested after the operation and are being held in a high security detention centre at a military base in southern Iraq.
The Sun reported that the SAS had been picked due to the complexity of the mission and because the insurgents posed a "significant" threat.
British forces spokesman Major Charlie Burbage told the newspaper: "These people posed one of the most significant threats to soldiers and civilians alike in Basra.
"Their detention is one more step towards improving security."
The Ministry of Defence said the dead soldier was a member of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. He is expected to be named later on Saturday.
It is MoD policy not to confirm whether members of the military belong to special forces regiments such as the SAS.
