Can I remove a fragment defined in a layout.xml file?

Is is possible to use FragmentTransaction and the remove() method to get rid of fragments that are defined in the layout.xml (using the fragment tag) ?

I did not get this to work using the support libraries v4. The fragment stays in place after you commit the FragmentTransaction, after calling remove(). Can anyone tell me if this is by design, a bug or a feature?

It is possible to replace a fragment that is defined in the lyaout.xml, so I find it a bit strange that it should not be possible to remove it?