British soldier killed in Afghanistan
LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier has been killed in a bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.
The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Rifles, died on Friday near Sangin in Helmand province, the southern region of Afghanistan where most British troops are based and where the Taliban remains strong.
"It is with deep regret that we report the death of another soldier in Helmand province," a spokesman for the British task force said in a statement.
The death raises to 168 the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since Britain joined the United States in invading the country in 2001.
The Taliban has stepped up attacks throughout the country, with 15 British troops killed in the past six weeks. Fighting traditionally picks up in the warmer summer months and U.S. and British forces have been braced for a surge in violence.
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