UK military death toll in Afghanistan reaches 447

Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has confirmed the death of a soldier from the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan, raising the UK military’s death toll to 447.

“The serviceman was killed in action as a result of enemy fire whilst on operations east of Kabul,” the MoD said in a statement.

The unnamed soldier was believed to be a part of Special Forces on operation in an area a hundred miles from where the British troops are based in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

A spokesperson for the ministry said the soldier’s next of kin have been informed but have requested a period of grace before further details are released.

The soldier’s death comes a week after British Prime Minister David Cameron claimed British forces will head home next year following the ‘success of the mission’ in Afghanistan.

The latest death was that of the 447th British soldier since the US-led war began in October 2001 under the pretext of combating terrorism.

Some 5,200 British forces are presently stationed in Afghanistan, down from 9,000 at the beginning of the year.

The US-led invasion removed the Taliban from power, but Afghanistan remains insecure despite the presence of tens of thousands of foreign forces in the country.

The prolonged war, which has caused record-high civilian and military casualties, has become the longest military conflict in the US history.