A British soldier has been killed while on patrol in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The soldier, from the 1st Battalion The Rifles, was killed by a gunshot wound sustained in the village of Haji Khodin Nazar, in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, on Wednesday. His next of kin have been informed.
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is my sad duty to inform you of the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles in the village of Haji Khodin Nazar in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
"The soldier was on a partnered patrol with the Afghan uniformed police when they came under small arms fire during which he was fatally wounded. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
The killing takes the number of British troops who have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 381.
Royal Marine Commando Sergeant Barry Weston, the last soldier to die, was also killed in Nahr-e Saraj. He was on foot patrol in Sukmanda when a roadside bomb detonated just over two weeks ago.
