LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - A British soldier has died after a roadside bomb attack on his patrol in Iraq's southern city of Basra, the Ministry of Defence in London said on Saturday. The soldier, from the 4th Battalion The Rifles, died from injuries he sustained in Friday's bombing, the ministry said in a statement. His family have been notified of his death. The soldier was in a Bulldog armoured vehicle targeted during a patrol as it returned to base in Basra, the BBC reported. The ministry released no more details. His death brings to 153 the number of British troops to have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. On Wednesday, Major Paul Harding, 48, also from the 4th Battalion The Rifles, was killed during an attack on the British base in Basra. Britain has handed security responsibility back to Iraq in three of four provinces, with only the southern province of Basra remaining. The number of British troops in Iraq has been cut to about 5,500. April was the deadliest month for British soldiers since the first month of the war, with 11 troops killed.
