LONDON (AFP) - A British soldier has been killed and four others injured in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said Saturday.
The serviceman, from 1st Battalion the Grenadier Guards, died late Friday night after an explosion in Garmsir, Helmand Province, as troops were trying to clear a Taliban compound.
The death brings to 56 the number of British troops who have died in Afghanistan since November 2001.
British forces are in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission.
There are currently over 6,000 British troops in Afghanistan, mostly in the south, a figure set to increase to around 7,700 over the year.