UK bomb expert killed in ambush
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A bomb disposal expert was killed and his colleague was seriously wounded when they were shot in an ambush as they drove on a road near Mosul in northern Iraq, according to the British charity Mines Advisory Group.
The group said Ian Rimell, 53, from Kidderminster, England, was killed and Salem Ahmed Mohammed, a local employee from the MAG demining team, was badly wounded in the incident, which occurred Thursday.
They were heading home from work "in a vehicle with the distinctive MAG emblem, when they were attacked," the group said in a statement issued Friday.
It is not known who was responsible for the attack.
MAG's executive director, Lou McGrath, said the MAG staff is "devastated by the loss of their good friend and colleague. He was a dedicated humanitarian who worked so well with the local people. Our thoughts are with the families and our prayers are with Salem as he remains in a serious condition."
The group said it has been in Iraq for more than a decade and has 700 mainly local staff people in northern Iraq to provide mine clearance and mine risk education.
Meanwhile Friday, Britain's defense ministry said it would send 120 extra troops to Iraq to bolster security.
The soldiers, from the 2nd Light Infantry, will fly over the weekend from Cyprus where they are on guard duty and join Britain's 11,000-strong force in Iraq.