Iraq War - Four more British deaths ahead of fall of Baghdad anniversary

4.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 5th Apr 2007

Liberal Democrats at the London rally against war in Iraq

Four British soldiers were killed today in a bomb blast in Basra, Iraq. Next Monday is the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad in the Iraq War, the day the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square, Baghdad, was toppled, and the reign of Saddam was declared ended. It is also the day the Iraq government has designated as 'Iraqi Freedom Day'.

The Liberal Democrats recently released figures on the cost of the war both in terms of lives lost and resources:

· £5 billion has been spent by the UK on the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the bill continues to rise

· A total of 140 British soldiers have lost their lives and hundreds have been wounded or maimed

· 34,452 Iraqi civilians died in 2006 with at least an estimated 50,000 since the war began

· One third of Iraqis are now living in poverty

A recent survey carried out in Iraq for the BBC suggested people are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future and unhappy about their lives.

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ming Campbell said "The war in Iraq was illegal. President Bush made the decisions, the Prime Minister argued the case, the Chancellor signed the cheques and the Tories voted it through. The Prime Minister should apologise to the country for taking us into an illegal war that has cost all sides dearly. Military action against Iraq has practically brought the country and people to its knees. It is now time to plan for an orderly withdrawal that should begin on 1st May and no British troops should remain after the end of October."