An SAS soldier has been killed in a gunfight with insurgents in Baghdad, the first British fatality for a month.

Although the vast majority of the 4,100-strong British force still in Iraq is located at the airport base outside Basra city, in southern Iraq, Britain’s special forces roam wide and far, fighting al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents alongside the Americans in Baghdad and elsewhere in central Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence said that it was unable to give any details of the circumstances that led to the latest death, but confirmed that he died during a gunbattle in the early hours of yesterday.

Regular British troops based at the air station northwest of Basra city no longer go out on patrols in the urban areas, after the withdrawal of the battalion based at Basra Palace last September.

Patrols local to the air station still continue, and units are also involved in training the Iraqi border enforcement authority along the frontier with Iran. However, none of the British soldiers gets involved in direct confrontation with Shia militia or foreign forces operating in Basra.

The death of the SAS soldier brought the total number of British fatalities to 176 since March 2003, of which 136 are classed as killed in action or having died of wounds.

The MoD is currently deciding whether it can reduce the number of British troops serving in Iraq. Last October Gordon Brown announced plans to cut the troop strength to 2,500 from the spring.

The next rotation of troops is due to take place in May and June, with the 7th Armoured Brigade – the Desert Rats – taking over from 4th Mechanised Brigade. It had been thought that only part of 7th Armoured Brigade would be sent to Iraq. But ministers are expected to send a full brigade at least for the next few months.

The final decision on numbers has been delayed. Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, is now not expected to make an announcement until next week or even the following week.

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