British soldier shot dead during attack on Taleban

KABUL - Another British soldier has been killed in Helmand province in Afghanistan during an offensive against the resurgent Taleban.

The soldier was shot in an attack in the Musa Qala area, an Islamist stronghold in the Sangin Valley, where three British soldiers were killed last week.

The mission is said to have led to the killings and capture of several suspects, including a Sunni cleric with links to insurgents.

The death brings to 10 the number of UK soldiers who have been killed in Helmand in the past two months.

British forces have engaged in 25 actions against the Taleban since May.

Military sources said the soldier was part of a team driving armoured trucks.

The convoy was supported by helicopters, armoured cars and the Parachute Regiment.

The death was described as a "lucky shot" rather than an effective ambush.

As well as the recent spate of British deaths, four other Nato soldiers were killed in one day last week.

A series of suicide bombings, widely prevalent in Iraq but unknown until recently in Afghanistan, have claimed more than 30 lives in the past 10 days.

- INDEPENDENT