UK soldier dies from Afghanistan gunshot injuries
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Sept 11, IRNA -- A British soldier has died in hospital in the UK after being aeromedically evacuated with gunshot wounds sustained in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday.
The soldier was conducting interdiction and disrupt operations in southern Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand on August 23 when he was he was hit with small arms fire but died from his injuries on Friday.
The death brings the total number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan to 335 since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001.
The toll so far this year is 90 compared with 108 during the whole of 2008, which was more than double the 51 killed in 2008 and up from 42 victims in 2007 and 39 in 2006. Only five British soldiers lost their lives in the first five years of the war.
According to the latest official figures, more than 3,700 British soldiers have been aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan. There have also been 4,211 field hospital admissions, including 1,429 who were wounded in action.
British MPs on Thursday were allowed to vote for the first time on the protracted war but overwhelmingly supported the continued deployment of troops although more than half abstained.
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 268040
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