A 53-year-old Former British Army bomb disposal expert
Has been killed in a roadside ambush in northern Iraq.
Ian Rimell, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire,
Died near the city of Mosul.
The married father-of-three
(Justine, 25, Robert, 22 and Simon, 19.)
was killed
And his local bodyguard seriously injured
When they were attacked on Thursday afternoon,
As they drove along a main road to the northern Iraqi city.
Mr Rimell, who was working
For the British-based charity Mines Advisory Group (Mag),
Was driving in a vehicle with the distinctive Mag emblem
When the gunmen struck.
The 53-year-old's bodyguard, Salem Ahmed Mohammed,
Was left in a critical condition.
Mr Rimell's widow, Jennifer, expressed anger
At the circumstances surrounding her husband's death.
"I cannot put into words the loss that we feel.
It's hard for us to accept that such a caring, popular man
Should be killed in this way," she said
In a statement issued by West Mercia Police.
"We are devastated by the loss of Ian,
Who was very well liked wherever he went.
We were all so very proud of Ian
Who spent every day of his life trying to help others."
Mrs Rimell said the fact that he was not a soldier
And was in Iraq to help the people that lived there
"makes it even harder for us to accept".
'DEDICATED HUMANITARIAN'
Mr Rimell had been clearing a scrapheap filled with ammunition
And hidden explosives on the day he died.
He later delivered the scrap metal
For use in the rebuilding of a local school.
Mag's executive director, Lou McGrath, said:
"Mag's staff are devastated by the loss
Of their good friend and colleague.
"He was a dedicated humanitarian who worked
So well with the local people.
"Our thoughts are with the families and our prayers
Are with Salem as he remains in a serious condition."
He added: "We are further reviewing our areas of operation
In Iraq following this attack."
Stuart Hughes, a BBC producer and patron of Mag,
Who lost a leg to a mine in Iraq earlier this year,
told BBC News 24 the incident raised concerns
About the safety of those carrying out this vital work.
He said: "What happened shows how volatile
The situation is in northern Iraq at the moment.
"Humanitarian vehicles that Mag use are very clearly marked,
They have large Mag stickers on
And the work Mag do in northern Iraq is very well known.
"So there is no possibility this vehicle
Could have been mistaken for another one.
"It would have been very clear that these people were not armed,
They posed no threat to anyone
And they were carrying out humanitarian mine clearance work."
Mag, which is based in Manchester,
Has been in Iraq without interruption for more than a decade
And has 700 staff, who are mostly local,
In northern Iraq.
It is one of the few international aid agencies
That stayed in Iraq throughout the conflict.
Ian Rimell was awarded the British Empire Medal
For his fearless bomb disposal work
Before joining MAG in January this year
