IED blast in Afghanistan kills British soldier

A powerful blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) has killed one more British soldier in southern Afghanistan.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, the soldier was killed by an IED while on foot patrol in the south of Sangin town in Helmand Province on Monday.

The Ministry says that the soldier’s death was not linked to Operation Moshtarak, aimed at eliminating major Taliban presence and influence in Helmand.

The number of British soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan has reached 31, bringing the total fatalities of UK forces in the country since 2001 to 276.

Britain has about 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly based in the south of the country.

Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Afghan civilians have been targeted by Western troops as well as the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Most of the victims of the US-led war, labeled ‘anti-terror campaign,’ have been innocent civilians.