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British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan

17 June 2012 04:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A British soldier has been killed in a clash with militants in southern Afghanistan, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Britainâ€™s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the soldier was killed while on patrol in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province a day earlier.

The slain soldier was from 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Major Ian Lawrence of Task Force Helmand said the soldier â€œwas killed by enemy action,â€ but did not offer specific details.

Britain reportedly has around 9,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, the second largest force in the country after the contingent of the United States.

The latest incident brings the death toll for British soldiers serving in Afghanistan to 419 since the US-led war began in 2001.

The British government has been under pressure to explain the details of its withdrawal strategy but has refused to elaborate on its plans until the United States makes its own decision.

Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan despite the presence of 130,000 US-led forces.

The United Nations announced on February 4 that 2011 was the deadliest on record for Afghan civilians. The death toll rose eight percent compared to the year before and was roughly double the figure for 2007.

Overall, 3,021 civilians died in violence related to the war and 4,507 were wounded in 2011. Of the deaths, the UN attributed 77 percent to militant attacks and 14 percent to US-led foreign troops and Afghan forces. Nine percent of the cases were classified as unknown.