UK soldier killed in Afghanistan

Britain has increased the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed in a road accident in southern Afghanistan, police say.

One British soldier was also injured in the accident, which was not thought to involve enemy action, the Ministry of Defence said.

It happened in the provincial capital, Laskar Gah, where more British troops have recently been deployed.

Britain began an enlarged deployment to Afghanistan last month, sending an extra 3,300 troops to the south.

A ministry spokesman said: "We regret to confirm that this morning [27 March] we received notice of a road traffic accident in southern Afghanistan resulting in the fatality of one UK soldier and minor injury to one other UK soldier.

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"It is not thought that enemy action was involved.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further until next of kin have been informed," he added.

The extra UK troops are in addition to 1,100 already in the country and 1,950 announced earlier; the total at any time is not expected to exceed 5,700.

Defence Secretary John Reid has said British troops are going to help with civilian aid and economic development, and to help Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reconstruct the country.