British soldier killed in suicide attack

A British soldier has died of his wounds following a suicide blast in the Afghan capital Kabul.

The Ministry of Defence said the dead man, from 16 Signal Regiment, was one of three British troops injured when a bomber rammed a vehicle into an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol on Monday.

The two surviving soldiers were from the same regiment. Next of kin have been informed.

A spokesman for the ministry said: "The three British soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital where one of them sadly died from his wounds.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and comrades."

Three Afghan civilians were killed and at least 12 others were injured and a small were also hurt in the attack on the eastern outskirts of Kabul.

Meanwhile, the Nato-led force in Afghanistan has denied reports it killed more than a dozen civilians in an airstrike to the northeast of the capital.

Another 18 civilians were wounded when Nato-led forces carried out an airstrike on suspected Taliban militants in Kapisa province on Saturday, according to provincial officials.

President Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation.

The issue of civilian casualties has led to a rift between Afghanistan and its Western allies, with President Hamid Karzai saying on Sunday that foreign airstrikes had only succeeded in killing ordinary Afghans and would not defeat the insurgency.

The Nato-led ISAF says it has conducted an investigation and maintains those killed were insurgents.

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