445th British soldier dies in Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed while on patrol in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced yesterday.

The soldier, from 14 Signals Regiment (Electronic Warfare), attached to the Task Force Helmand Brigade Reconnaissance Force, died after coming under fire in Helmand Province. Lt-Col Hywel Lewis said: “A fantastic soldier has tragically died defending his comrades. He was the brightest and the best.”

His death takes to 445 the number of UK service personnel who have lost their lives since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001 and is the seventh this year. It is the first since three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on 30 April.