UK minister urged to quit over soldier's Iraq death

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1547471.htm

LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The British government on Thursday rejected calls for the resignation of Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon over the death of a soldier whose widow said was killed in Iraq because he had to hand back his body armour.

Samantha Roberts, widow of Sergeant Steve Roberts who was shot in the chest last March, earlier on Thursday released an audio diary made by her husband in which he complained about the poor level of supplies available to British soldiers.

He had described the lack of equipment as "disgraceful".

"We know we are going to have to go to war without the correct equipment," he said just before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and his own death in Basra on March 23.

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