British soldier wounded in south Iraq clash

AMARA, Iraq, June 11 (Reuters) A British soldier was wounded in the southern Iraqi city of Amara early today when insurgents attacked his unit, a British military spokesman said.

The spokesman said armoured troops came under fire when they rolled into Amara to determine who was firing rockets or mortars at their base near the town 365 km (227 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

''When the troops reached the area where the firing came from terrorists opened fire on them,'' said the spokesman.

''We returned fire and some terrorists may have been killed.

It was hard to tell because the unit withdrew.'' A hospital official said one civilian was killed in the incident.

Southern Iraq has been relatively free of the violence gripping other parts of the country but the region has witnessed increasing bombing attacks on British troops and civilians.

Last month was one of the deadliest for British troops since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared a state of emergency in Basra 10 days ago to crack down on gangs and feuding Shi'ite factions threatening oil exports.

Residents say Shi'ite militias run death squads and punish anyone who does not follow their strict brand of Islam in the south.

REUTERS CH PM1709