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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| UK soldier killed in Afghanistan | UK soldier killed in Afghanistan |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A British soldier has died after an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. | A British soldier has died after an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. |
| The soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, had been on patrol east of Gereshk in Helmand province. | The soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, had been on patrol east of Gereshk in Helmand province. |
| Lt Col Mark Wenham, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the soldier made the "ultimate sacrifice" and displayed "bravery that was second to none". | Lt Col Mark Wenham, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the soldier made the "ultimate sacrifice" and displayed "bravery that was second to none". |
| The fatality on Saturday takes the UK death toll in Afghanistan since 2001 to 196. Next of kin have been informed. | |
| 'Heartfelt condolences' | |
| According to the MoD, the soldier had been on foot patrol when an improvised explosive device went off. | |
| Lt Col Wenham said: "Today we mourn the loss of a soldier who died working to make Afghanistan a better place. | |
| "Our thoughts are with his family and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences at this tragic time." | |
| Five UK soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan so far in August, following a record death toll of 22 in July. | |
| Troops are now involved in the second stage of Operation Panther's Claw, which the MoD says is focused on holding ground won from the Taliban in recent weeks. | |
| The latest fatality comes two days after three Paras were killed in southern Afghanistan. | |
| Cpl Kevin Mulligan, 26, L/Cpl Dale Hopkins, 23, and Pte Kyle Adams, 21, were on patrol when their vehicle was struck by an explosion and came under fire. | |
| Meanwhile, the ex-commander of the British forces in Afghanistan has attacked the MoD for leaving heavily-armoured vehicles "parked up doing nothing" at a base in the UK. | |
| Col Richard Kemp said pictures in the News of the World of a large number of vehicles at a base in Gloucestershire were "extraordinary". | |
| But the MoD insisted that the vehicles at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency site were to be fitted with armour, radios and undergo testing. | |
| The incoming head of the Army, Gen Sir David Richards, has warned that the UK's commitment to Afghanistan could last for up to 40 years. |