Roadside bomb kills British soldier in southern Afghanistan

LONDON/KABUL (BNO NEWS) — A British soldier was killed on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near his foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed.

The attack happened in the Jamal Kowi area of the Nahr-e Saraj district of central Helmand province when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a joint ISAF-Afghan foot patrol, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must confirm the death of a soldier from the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment earlier today after an explosion in the Jamal Kowi area of Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand Province,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand.

Mackenzie said the soldier’s family have been informed and have asked for a 24 hour period of grace until details about his identity are released. “Our deepest condolences are extended to his family at this very difficult time and all of our thoughts and prayers are with them,” he added.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years with a total coalition death toll of 711 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 10,000 American troops later this year, with another 23,000 U.S. troops to return home next year.

So far this year, at least 532 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan, including 40 British soldiers. Most of the casualties are American and are killed in the country’s restive south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.