British soldier dies at NATO base in southern Afghanistan

British soldier dies at NATO base in southern Afghanistan

2012-01-24 23:32:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL/LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A British soldier died at a coalition patrol base in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the British Ministry of Defense said. Details about the cause of death were not immediately released.

The British Ministry of Defense said the soldier died on Tuesday at a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol base in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. "It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the death of soldier from 200 Signals Squadron earlier today," said Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie.

Mackenzie gave no details about the death but said it does not suspect hostile action. "This tragic death, at a base in Nahr-e Saraj (North), is now under investigation, but is not thought to be as a result of hostile action," he said. "Our heartfelt condolences are with his family and friends at this time of great sadness."

The Ministry said next of kin have been informed and have requested a 24 hour period of grace before more details are released.

The death raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 30. The deadliest incident so far this year happened on late Thursday evening when an ISAF helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six U.S. Marines.

A total of 566 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, down from 711 in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

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 23,000 U.S. troops later this year, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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