British IS fighter 'killed in suicide attack in Iraq'

A British Islamic State (IS) fighter has died in a suicide attack in Iraq, according to reports.

The militant has been named as Abu Musa al-Britani, the suffix regularly being used to denote a British fighter.

IS social media accounts confirmed the death, in the al-Anbar province west of Iraqi capital Baghdad, and claimed "nearly 30" people died.

The actual death toll has been disputed.

Another jihadi fighter with the exact same name was mortally wounded during a suicide attack in Iraq, in May last year.

Experts confirmed the bomber then - a man of Kosovan-Albanian heritage living in the UK - was a convert to Islam, whereas the more recent terrorist was not.

Kyle Orton, an associate fellow with the Henry Jackson Society human rights group specialising in the Middle East, said it was likely the death toll was "exaggerated" for political gain.

He said: "I have looked through some of the reports coming out of Baghdad and I don't think 30 people have been killed.

"It is such an exaggerated figure, done for propaganda purposes.

"Although the Iraqi government has denied this death toll, they are also prone to an awful lot of exaggeration.

"If they are saying only the bomber died, it is likely the figure is somewhere between the two - but certainly not as many as 30."

The victims are believed to be state security personnel, as well as aligned Sunni forces.