LONDON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The British Ministry of Defense confirmed on Monday that a British soldier was killed and another injured in southern Iraq.

    "It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defense must confirm the death of a British soldier from 2nd Battalion The Rifles in Iraq earlier today, Monday 2 April 2007." the MoD said in a statement.

    "The soldier came under attack from small arms fire whilst on a routine patrol in the Al Ashar district of central Basra at about 1700 hrs local time," said the MoD, adding that another soldier was injured in the attack.

    It is the second British fatality this Month. On Sunday, a British soldier from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment died after being injured by small arms fire while on a routine patrol in southern Iraq.

    Britain, the U.S. staunchest ally in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, stations the second largest number of troops, following the United States, in the battered country.

    Currently, Britain has some 7,100 troops in southern Iraq, most in the Basra area and about 800 in Maysan province. Since 2003, there are 134 British soldiers killed in Iraq.

    On February, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the withdrawal of 1,600 British troops from Iraq in the coming few months. ¡¡