A British soldier has been shot and killed in southern Afghanistan, in what the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday could have been the second death from friendly fire in as many days. The soldier died from wounds sustained during a firefight near a patrol base in Sangin in Helmand province on Monday.
"Initial reports suggest that this death may have resulted from a friendly fire incident," an MoD statement said, adding the death would now be investigated by the Royal Military Police. The soldier's next of kin have been informed. An investigation will also be carried out into the death of a soldier killed on Sunday in a different area of Helmand, amid the "possibility" that it was caused by friendly fire, the MoD said on Monday.
The latest death brings to 242 the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in October 2001. The rising death toll has eroded public support for the war in Afghanistan, where around 10,000 British troops serving within the international coalition are battling Taliban insurgents.