A British soldier has died after a suicide bomber detonated himself in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
UK Soldier Dies After Suicide Bomber Strikes
A British soldier has died after a suicide bomber detonated himself in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
British troops in Afghanistan
British troops in Helmand Province
The soldier was from 3rd Battalion The Rifles, serving with 3 Rifles Battle Group.
He died as a result of the blast in an area 1km to the east of Sangin this afternoon.
His death was not connected to Operation Moshtarak, the recent drive against Taliban strongholds.
Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, paid tribute to the soldier's "indefatigable courage".
He said: "He was part of a patrol which had just completed providing protection for soldiers from the counter-IED (improvised explosive device) Task Force to deal with an unexploded insurgent bomb, an operation to protect and save lives.
"The bomb had been successfully dealt with and the 3 Rifles soldiers had continued on their foot patrol when a suicide bomber in a car detonated himself near them.
"We have lost another of our fellow soldiers, one of our comrades, whose indefatigable courage in the face of danger day after day will not be forgotten."
The soldier's family have been informed.
His death takes the total number of British service personnel killed in action since the conflict began to 245.
It comes just days after the Prince of Wales made a surprise two-day visit to British troops on the front line in Afghanistan.
Prince Charles, a Commander in Chief of 10 regiments, spent the night with soldiers at Camp Bastion in Helmand.
source: skynews
