British soldier shot dead in southern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

British soldier shot dead in southern Afghanistan

2012-01-28 05:45:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL/LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A British soldier was killed on Friday morning when insurgents attacked a coalition foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense said. It is the third British fatality in Afghanistan so far this year.

The soldier was shot and killed during a foot patrol in the Khar Nikah region of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand province, which is located in southern Afghanistan. "It is my very sad duty to inform you that a soldier serving with the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was fatally wounded in an insurgent attack while on a foot patrol to disrupt insurgent activity in the Khar Nikah area," Task Force Helmand spokesman Gordon Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie did not say whether any other service members were injured in the attack. "Our deepest condolences are with his family and friends at this tragic time," he said. "The soldier's family have been informed and have asked for a 24 hour period of grace until more details are released."

The death raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 33, including three British soldiers. The deadliest incident so far this year happened last week when a NATO 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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