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| Roadside Bomb Kills 3 British Soldiers in Afghanistan | Roadside Bomb Kills 3 British Soldiers in Afghanistan |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three British soldiers were killed when a roadside explosive detonated near them Tuesday in Helmand Province in Afghanistan in the deadliest attack on British soldiers there in a year. | |
| The soldiers were on routine patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district when the improvised explosive device detonated, the British Defense Ministry said. The blast also killed nine Afghan and left another six British soldiers injured, according to Reuters. | |
| In a television interview Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron took note of the deaths, saying, ‘'We have paid a very high price for the work we’re doing in Afghanistan.” | |
| ‘'It is important work because it’s vital that country doesn’t again become a haven for terrorists, terrorists that can threaten us here in the UK,'’ he told ITV television. | |
| Helmand has long been one of the most fiercely contested areas of the decade-long war in Afghanistan, although the security situation has improved markedly in the last two years. On Saturday, however, the Taliban pledged to begin their spring offensive against military and diplomatic targets, and British officials said Wednesday the killings underscored the continuing threats faced by their soldiers in the war. | Helmand has long been one of the most fiercely contested areas of the decade-long war in Afghanistan, although the security situation has improved markedly in the last two years. On Saturday, however, the Taliban pledged to begin their spring offensive against military and diplomatic targets, and British officials said Wednesday the killings underscored the continuing threats faced by their soldiers in the war. |
| “Security in Helmand, where most U.K. forces are based, is steadily improving with Afghan forces already responsible for the bulk of the province,” said a statement from the Defense Ministry. “But the environment in which our troops operate remains risky and dangerous, including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack.” | “Security in Helmand, where most U.K. forces are based, is steadily improving with Afghan forces already responsible for the bulk of the province,” said a statement from the Defense Ministry. “But the environment in which our troops operate remains risky and dangerous, including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack.” |
| “We will continue to do all we can to minimize these risks but they can never be removed entirely,” the statement added. | “We will continue to do all we can to minimize these risks but they can never be removed entirely,” the statement added. |
| The soldiers were deployed with the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the ministry said. More than 400 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the conflict started in 2001. | The soldiers were deployed with the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the ministry said. More than 400 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the conflict started in 2001. |
| Ed Miliband, the Labour Party leader in Britain, called the deaths “tragic news from Afghanistan” in a tweet. “My thoughts and condolences are with the families and friends of those killed,” he wrote. |