A British soldier died after an army base in Iraq came under small arms fire, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died as a result of fire on a coalition forces base in Basra, in the south of the country.
The MoD said there were no other casualties in the incident, which occurred at the base on Monday.
The family of the soldier, who has not yet been named, have been informed of the death, an MoD spokeswoman said.
In the wake of the soldier's death, Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "I was deeply saddened to hear that a soldier from the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment had died whilst serving his country in Iraq.
"His family, friends and comrades as ever have my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
"Our brave forces are striving to build a better future for the people of Iraq and this is a stark reminder to us all of the dangers they face there."
Monday's death takes the number of British service personnel who have died in Iraq since the start of hostilities to 121.
