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Iraq (Basra Incident)

I thank my right hon. Friend for his welcome. Certainly, it would not have been my wish to be welcomed to my new position in these circumstances. On the specific point, I cannot confirm that a child or children were killed or wounded, and it would be unhelpful to speculate on such matters. Those who were at or about the scene in the immediate aftermath of the crash saw a large proportion of relatively young children in the crowd. However, I am not able to confirm at this stage that a child or children were killed or wounded.