British soldier killed in Afghanistan

LONDON: A British soldier died in an explosion in Afghanistan on Monday, bringing the number of servicemen killed there since operations began in 2001 to 377, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles died in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

"The soldier was part of a foot patrol which had been deployed to assist with the recovery of a cache of improvised explosive device (IED) components," explained lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand.

"As he led the specialist counter-improvised explosive device team rendezvous with another patrol at the start of the operation, the soldier was fatally injured in an explosion. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," Purbrick added.

His family has been informed.

Another British soldier who died in the Nahr-e Saraj district on Saturday has meanwhile been named as Lance Corporal Paul Watkins of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers.

He is thought to have been shot dead by a member of the Afghan army in southern Afghanistan while on a routine patrol.

A spokesman from the Ministry of Defence said: "The foot patrol was nearing the end of its route and returning to Lance Corporal Watkins' location when it came under contact from enemy small-arms fire.

Britain has about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan. Prime Minister David Cameron has said they will all be withdrawn by 2015, once responsibility for security is handed over to Afghan forces.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011