A memorial service was held on Thursday in honour of the 179 British troops to have fallen in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Defence Secretary John Hutton flew in specially for the service in the Basra airbase, which comes as British forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq.

The names of 179 soldiers killed in British-led operations in Basra over the last six years were read out during the service.

"The very act of calling by name is an important one," said the military chaplain leading the ceremony, according to AFP.

"Each name is unique and each name tells a story -- the story of a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife, a father or a mother. Each name will invoke powerful memories, not least for family and loved ones back home."

Towards the end of the service, the Last Post and Reveille were played and prayers were said for the fallen troops.

At the height of Operation Telic, the code name for the operation in Iraq, there were 46,000 British troops in the country. Command at the Basra airbase has been handed over to the US forces, who are also due to withdraw from Iraq next year.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced today that six years of British combat operations had come to an end in Iraq.

Speaking after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at Downing Street, Mr Brown said: “Today marks the closing chapter of the combat mission in Iraq. The flag of 20 Armoured Brigade will be lowered as British combat patrols in Basra come to an end and our armed forces prepare to draw down.”