The father of the 100th member of the British armed forces to die in action in Iraq said today that his family was absolutely devastated at his death. Second Lieutenant Jonathan Carlos Bracho-Cooke, 24, from Hove, was killed yesterday after a roadside bomb hit a routine patrol in Basra. His father, also called Jonathan, said his family were struggling to come to terms with the news. Speaking from the family home in Hove, Mr Cooke said: "We are all devastated. We found out about it yesterday. Obviously we were told some hours after it happened." Mr Cooke added that his son had been engaged and was due to get married on August 9 this year. Asked how his fiancee was coping, he said: "She is very distressed." He added that the family wished the media to respect their privacy at this difficult time, but that they may issue a statement in due course. The bomb, which also wounded a number of Iraqi civilians, exploded as armoured Warrior vehicles patrolled near the US consulate in the south east of the city. Second Lieutenant Bracho-Cooke, of the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was described by his commanding officer as "bright, enthusiastic and charismatic". A eulogy released by the Ministry of Defence said the "promising" young officer had been due to marry Laura in August.
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