UK soldier killed in south Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed by an explosion while checking for mines in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

The soldier, from the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, was thrown from his vehicle by an explosion on Tuesday in the Upper Sangin valley, a region in the south of the country that is the focus of intense fighting.

"He was killed by a suspected IED (improvised explosive device) explosion," the ministry said in a statement. "No one else was injured in the incident."

Another British soldier was killed in the same area of the country, also on Tuesday, during a firefight with the Taliban.

The death brings to 108 the number of British troops killed since the war began in late 2001. Eleven British soldiers have died in the past two weeks, including the first female British soldier to be killed, as the Taliban has stepped up attacks.