Two soldiers from the Bradford district have been killed in the Iraqi war.
Sergeant Steven Roberts, a 33-year-old father, of Shipley, was today named as the first British serviceman known to have died in combat.
And Captain Philip Guy, 29, of Skipton, was named as being among eight Royal Marines and four US servicemen who were killed when a helicopter crashed on its way back to Kuwait after completing a mission early last Friday.
His widow, who is expecting their second child soon, today said her husband, who had seen action in Bosnia and Afghanistan, had died a 'true hero'.
The men's names were made public as it emerged that a second UK serviceman had died in action, this time a solider from the 1st Battalion The Black Watch. He was killed in an operation last night near Al Zubayr.
Fierce fighting is continuing in some parts of southern Iraq, including Basra and Nasiriyah, amid concerns that allied troops are being dragged into urban guerilla warfare.
Their efforts to secure key areas are being hampered by forces fiercely loyal to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, including elements of the elite Repulican Guard.
Today, as the push for Baghdad continued, coalition aircraft were bombing Republican Guard positions surrounding the capital.
However, reports say that an increasingly desperate Saddam has authorised the guards to launch a chemical attack if allies reach a certain point in the Baghdad district.
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