Military

British solider shot dead in Sangin

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Feb 25, IRNA -- A British soldier has been shot dead while on foot patrol near Sangin, in Helmand province in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London announced Thursday.

The killing came after it was announced that a British airman died in an explosion in Kandahar province on Wednesday night. Neither of the deaths were said to be connected to the Operation Moshtarak offensive, launched two weeks ago.

The British death is the 14th so far this month and the 20th killed so far this year. The overwhelming majority have been caused by improvised explosive devices.

Reports last month have suggested that British troops may be on the verge of being replaced by American reinforcements in such government outposts as Sangin.

When British troops were first sent to Helmand in 2006, they were supposed to focus on the five districts around Lashkar Gah, where most of Helmand’s population lives, but the plan was abandoned after pressure from President Hamid Karzai and provincial governors.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 980859