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The soldiers died in three separate incidents: one was killed after his vehicle hit an unmarked land mine today, one died in clashes with the Taleban and a third perished from injuries sustained in a suicide bombing in Kabul last week.
An MoD spokeswoman said five troops were also seriously injured in the landmine explosion, which happened at 12:20 pm (0750 GMT).
The incident took place in the north of Helmand province, where Britain has about 4,000 troops as part of a Nato force.
It occurred after the soldiers' patrol strayed into an unmarked minefield. The soldiers were evacuated to a Nato medical facility after being extracted from the minefield.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence said: “It is with great regret that we can confirm that one UK soldier has died and five others were very seriously injured as a result of a landmine contact in northern Helmand province. Another soldier received minor injuries.
“The injured are currently being treated at the military medical facility at Camp Bastion. No further details will be released until next of kin have been informed.”
Nineteen British soldiers have died in Afghanistan in less than a week, bringing the British military death toll since 2001 to 38. This includes the 14 servicemen killed in a spy plane crash on Saturday, after their RAF Nimrod MR2 went down.
British troops battling Taleban fighters have been involved in what the British Nato commander has described as some of the fiercest fighting since the Korean War 50 years ago.
General Sir Richard Dannatt, the new chief of Britain’s Army general staff, said yesterday that British troops would probably remain in Afghanistan for longer than the three years announced by the Government.
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