British soldier killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed in a grenade attack in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

The serviceman from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery died in hospital after an attack on the Sangin base in Helmand Province.

He is the 52nd British serviceman to die in the country since the start of operations in November 2001.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "He died in hospital at Camp Bastion from injuries sustained by a rocket attack on a UK base in Sangin."

She added that next of kin had been informed and have asked that no further information be released for 24 hours.

Brigadier Jerry Thomas, commander of the UK Task Force, said: "At this very difficult time our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues and I want to convey my sincere and heartfelt condolences to them."

He added: "I would like to assure everyone that, despite our recent sad losses, the men and women of the UK Task Force remain committed to the mission and continue to carry out their tasks with the dedication and courage expected of members of our Armed Forces."

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