Roadside bomb kills two Britons in Iraq's Basra

BASRA, Iraq, Apr 30 (Reuters) Two British contractors were killed near the southern Iraqi city of Basra when a roadside bomb struck their convoy, a spokesman for the British military said today.

''The attack occurred about 30 kilometres northwest of Basra,'' the spokesman said of the violence yesterday.

Iraq's second city Basra has been relatively stable compared to the rest of the country. But roadside bombs have occasionally hit British targets.

British troops have launched crackdowns against rogue policemen in the city 550 km (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad and resident have complained of militia hit squads.

REUTERS CH PM1830