London, Oct 3 (IRNA) A British soldier has been killed during an attack at a UK base in Basra, southern Iraq, on Monday, bringing the total death toll of UK troops to 119 since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The Ministry of Defence said another soldier was also seriously injured in an "indirect fire attack" at the Shatt Al-Arab Hotel after mortars landed inside the base perimeter.

A British military spokesman in Basra said about 15 mortars were fired at the base, with three or four landing inside the perimeter.

The soldiers were taken to hospital, where one later died. The other was said to have suffered a broken arm.

The latest casualties come after the UK handed over responsibility for security last month in Dhi Qar, the second of four provinces on southern Iraq under UK control. Mutthana was transferred back to local control in July.

Last week, senior British military officers were reported to have been pressing the government to withdraw British troops from Iraq and concentrate on what they now regard as a more worthwhile and winnable battleground in Afghanistan.

According to press reports, pressure was also coming from military chiefs for an early and significant cut in the 7,500 British troops in Iraq that was motivated by the extreme pressure placed on soldiers and those responsible for training them.