HAMPSHIRE troops have come under their fiercest attack yet in war torn Iraq.

Soldiers from the First Battalion, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, came under fire for more than four hours by suspected terrorists using rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms explosives.

The attack happened as members of 1PWRR - nicknamed the Tigers - carried out an arrest and search operation hunting down suspected terrorists in Basra who were reported to be hoarding weapons.

Remarkably all the British troops escaped unscathed - but it is thought some of the Iraqi fighters were seriously hurt and lives may have been lost.

This morning soldiers from the county spoke exclusively with the Daily Echo about the terrifying attack in the middle of the night and how luck was on their side which stopped any of our troops being hurt or even killed.

Private Karl Joyce, 24, was in an armoured vehicle when it was under attack from insurgents as close as 15 metres away.

Speaking from their base, the dad of one from Merryoak, Southampton, said: "My Warrior was hit by five rocket propelled grenade missiles and small arms fire. We were right in the thick of it.

"It was quite scary. When the first missiles hit I was sat in the back looking out of a window, watching a gunman run away and suddenly there was a huge explosion. The force of the rocket propelled grenade threw me back in to my seat. At first you just take it, but later I was a bit shook up. It certainly got the adrenaline pumping.

"I'm not really sure how long it lasted for but it seemed like an eternity. There came a point, probably about 45 minutes later when we were still being attacked from all around, when I thought 'we have got to get out of this now' but it just carried on.

"Everything goes through your mind - all I could think about was my girlfriend and my two year old son."