|
Helmand: Three British soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, bringing the number of UK military personnel killed in the country since 2001 to 100, the vast majority over the past two years.
A fourth soldier was injured.
The soldiers, from 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, were on a routine foot patrol near their base in the Upper Sangin Valley in Helmand province when a suicide bomber approached the group of four and detonated a bomb strapped to his chest.
Four were injured and evacuated to Camp Bastion for treatment, the Ministry of Defence said.
One was pronounced dead on arrival and, despite medics' efforts, another two died from their wounds.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said his thoughts were with the loved ones of the 100 "courageous" personnel.
Of the 100 killed in Afghanistan, 74 have died as a result of enemy attack. The remaining deaths were due to illness and non-combat injuries.
In all, 1,500 people have died in the fighting in Afghanistan so far this year.
The youngest British victim was Private Ben Ford, 18, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and the oldest was father-of-five Senior Aircraftsman Gary Thompson, 51, from Nottingham.
|
