Third British solider killed in Helmand in two days
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Feb 9, IRNA -- A British soldier was killed while trying to clear explosives in the Nad-e-Ali district of central Helmand province on Monday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London has announced.
The death is the third in two days coming after two British soldiers were killed in an explosion while on foot patrol near Sangin on Sunday.
The mounting casualty toll in Afghanistan is now one higher than 255 British fatalities suffered during the 1982 war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands, but which lasted only 74 days.
Five British soldiers have so far been killed in February compared with six during the whole of last month. The 108 killed in 2009 was more than double the toll of 51 suffered in the previous year.
The latest death comes as Britain is preparing to join Operation Moshtarak, a major Nato-led offensive being launched against the Taliban in Helmand with the support of US troops, but the MoD refused to confirm whether there was any connection.
Reports have previously suggested that British troops may be on the verge of leaving such government outposts as Sangin and Nad-e-Ali as thousands of American reinforcements pour into Afghanistan.
The head of the British army, Gen Sir David Richards, has said the aim of Operation Moshtarak was to flush out the remaining pockets of Taliban resistance in Helmand province.
"The aim is to clear them from their bomb-making factories and allow us to ensure we can provide that greater cloak of security to the vast majority of people in Helmand who don't actually want the Taliban to rule them again," Richards said.
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End News / IRNA / News Code 952552
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