The bodies of two British soldiers feared to have been executed have been found in a shallow grave in Iraq, the British Ministry of Defence said today.
The remains of the men were found near Al Zubayr, outside Basra in Iraq's south.
It is feared their Land Rover was ambushed and the men shot were executed after they went missing on March 23th near Al Zubayr. Their lifeless bodies were then broadcast on al-Jazeera TV causing outrage in Britain.
An British Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said cause of deaths had not been confirmed but that execution was a possibility, and an investigation was ongoing.
Last month a row broke out over the deaths when Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair said that the men had been "executed".
The family of one of the men reacted angrily, saying the British army said the men died in combat.
A military source said that the discovery of the bodies in a shallow desert grave on the outskirts of Al Zubayr backed up Mr Blair's comments because it was unusual for soldiers who die in battle to be buried by the enemy.
But a government spokeswoman would only say: "We can confirm a number of bodies were exhumed from that area.
"Post mortem tests are now being carried out."
PA