A British soldier has been killed by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The soldier from The 2nd Battalion the Rifles was killed by the blast during an operation near Sangin in northern Helmand Province on Friday morning.

Next of kin have been informed.

His death came as colleagues paid tribute to another British soldier who was killed by an explosion near Kandahar on Thursday morning.

Private Robert McLaren, from the Isle of Mull, was fresh out of infantry recruit training and had only been in active service for four weeks.

Pte McLaren, 20, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was described as a quiet and hard working soldier.

The latest death takes the number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 168.

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