British soldier shot dead in southern Afghanistan

British soldier shot dead in southern Afghanistan

2012-02-14 19:33:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL/LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A British service member was killed on Monday when insurgents attacked his patrol in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. It is the fourth British fatality in Afghanistan so far this year.

The airman from the Royal Air Force Regiment was shot dead on Monday morning when insurgents attacked a British patrol in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, located in Afghanistan's south.

"It is my sad duty to report that an airman [..] was fatally wounded during an insurgent attack in the Western Dashte area of Nad-e Ali whilst on a patrol to interact with the local population," said Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie, a spokesman for British Forces in Helmand.

Mackenzie did not say whether any other service members were injured in the attack, but said the victim's family has been informed. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time," he added.

Monday's death raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 39, according to official figures. The deadliest incident so far this year happened on January 19 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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