ten downing street

A British soldier killed in a firefight with the Taliban yesterday was the third to die in Afghanistan this month.

The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment died in clashes with Taliban forces in Helmand province, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

He was on a routine patrol yesterday morning when he was shot in the head during a gun battle. Next of kin have been informed.

The death comes 48 hours after a decorated British war hero was killed as he tried to disarm a Taliban bomb. He was named yesterday as Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary O'Donnell, 40, of the Royal Logistic Corps. He died as he approached the device near Musa Qala in Helmand province.

Recent months have been some of the bloodiest since coalition forces were sent to the country in 2001, and the latest death takes the number of British service personnel killed to 119.

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