Afghan blast kills British soldier

The soldier was from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.

He died in the blast while on patrol in Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province on Saturday.

The soldier's next of kin have been informed.

A total of 339 British troops have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lt Col David Eastman, said: "It is with a deep sense of regret that I must confirm the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles on Saturday afternoon.

"His loss will be greatly felt by all who knew him; he will not be forgotten."

Meanwhile, Ministry of Defence documents disclosed that an Afghan soldier "executed" a prisoner on a British base in Helmand province.

It is understood that UK troops did not directly witness the killing but were close by at the time.

British military investigators carried out an inquiry into the shooting of the detainee on a small UK-controlled patrol base in Musa Qala in March.

It is believed that the Afghan soldier who carried out the killing was handed over to the local authorities, although it is not clear what happened to him afterwards.