British Soldier Killed in Clash With Taliban

A British soldier was killed and another seriously injured yesterday during clashes with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldier, who has not been named, was fatally wounded in a firefight in southern Helmand province when his patrol was attacked by Taliban fighters. At least one Taliban fighter was also killed, according to local officials.

Seven British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of August.

An MoD spokesman said: "We are currently in the process of informing the next of kin. No further details will be released until that process is complete."

Last week the sixth soldier to be killed in August was named as Lance Corporal Jonathan Hetherington, 22, from 14 Signal Regiment, based in south Wales, who was shot when insurgents attacked an outpost in Musa Qala. The soldier, who was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, joined the army in September 2000 and trained as a radio systems operator.

The latest death brings to 22 the total number of British soldiers killed since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 - 15 of those were killed in action.

The increasing British death toll comes amid reports that the Taliban has been swelling its ranks with foreign jihadis, mostly from the Middle East. Most foreign Taliban fighters were captured or fled after the fall of the militant regime in 2001.

Yesterday Taliban fighters ambushed the car of Habibullah Jan, chief of the central province's Muqur district, said Abdul Ali Faqari, the Ghazni governor's spokesman. Four of his bodyguards were wounded in the attack.

Britain has nearly 4,000 troops deployed in Helmand province. The MoD confirmed this week that more than 80 tonnes of munitions were airlifted to the combat zone last week.