British soldier dies after attack in southern Afghanistan

USPA News - A British soldier died on Tuesday after being critically injured in an attack in southern Afghanistan earlier this week, Britain`s Ministry of Defense said. It raises the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 441, three of them so far this year.

Major Matt Allen, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the soldier was injured during an insurgent attack in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province on Monday. He was flown to an undisclosed hospital for treatment but succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. "It is with deep regret that I must report the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) who has died as a result of wounds sustained during an insurgent attack in Nad-e Ali in Helmand Province," Allen said. "His death comes as a great loss to all serving in Task Force Helmand. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to his family and friends at this difficult time." Allen said the soldier`s family has been informed and have asked for a 24-hour period of grace before other details are released. The death on Tuesday raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 24, including three British service members. A total of 402 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2012, down from 566 fatalities in 2011 and 711 in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country`s south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians. There are currently more than 100,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including some 68,000 U.S. troops and 9,000 British soldiers. Approximately 3,800 British soldiers are expected to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2013, with all foreign combat troops due to leave by the end of 2014.