Bomb blast kills British soldier in southern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Bomb blast kills British soldier in southern Afghanistan

2011-11-28 02:39:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A British soldier was killed on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near his foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed. It takes the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 390.

The attack happened in the Babaji area of the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a British patrol, killing one soldier. The Ministry did not say whether other soldiers were injured in the blast.

"I have the sad duty to inform you that a soldier from the 5th Battalion The Rifles was killed earlier today after an explosion while on a foot patrol to disrupt insurgent activity in the Babaji area of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand Province," said Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand.

Mackenzie said the soldier's family have been informed and have asked for a customary period of grace before more details are released to the media. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this very difficult time," he added.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years with a total coalition death toll of 711 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 10,000 American troops later this year, with another 23,000 U.S. troops to return home next year.

So far this year, at least 536 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan, including 41 British soldiers. Most of the casualties are American and are killed in the country's restive south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

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