Three British soldiers die in Afghanistan
Three British soldiers have killed in Afghanistan
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Thursday, 13, Aug 2009 06:02
Three British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.
Two of the soldiers were from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, with the third from 40 Regiment Royal Artillery.
A statement released by the MoD reports they died following an explosion while on foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand Province on Thursday morning.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Today has been incredibly sad for the whole of Task Force Helmand, and particularly for The Rifles battlegroup, with whom all three soldiers were serving.
"We will all feel the loss of these brave soldiers, but it is their family, friends and loved ones, as well as the men and women who served alongside them, who feel the greatest pain and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers."
The soldiers' deaths bring the total number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan to 199.
Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers
"The loss of these brave men, and of all those who have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002, is a tragedy," he said.
"It brings us very close to the sad milestone of 200 fatalities in this conflict. We cannot help but reflect on the toll the mission has taken on our people and their families and friends. But we must also keep in the forefront of our minds how important it is to the security of this country and its citizens.
"So many young men and women have been injured or given their lives to ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into the hands of the extremists and the terrorists who seek to threaten us and our interests. We must succeed. And we will."
The soldiers' next of kin have been informed.