Soldier killed in Afghan blast named by MoD

L/Cpl Tommy Brown was the fourth British casualty in as many days

A special forces soldier killed by a bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday has been named as Lance Corporal Tommy Brown.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said he died as a result of a suspected improvised explosive device in Sangin.

L/Cpl Brown was described as a dynamic and talented soldier with the "easy confidence of a natural leader".

The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 243, with 106 from this year alone.

L/Cpl Brown is understood to have belonged to the Special Forces Support Group, which assists the SAS and Special Boat Service.

The MoD does not usually release details of the age or home town of special forces members.

'Taliban re-grouped'

A regiment spokesman said of the soldier: "He gave his life for his comrades and the Parachute Regiment, both of which meant so much to him.

Funeral for war's 100th casualty

"His passing is a sad day for us, but every member of the unit is privileged to have known such a likeable, grounded and utterly professional man. We are deeply honoured to have served alongside him."

The spokesman added that the regiment's thoughts and prayers were with his family and friends.

L/Cpl Brown was the fourth British casualty in as many days.

Another British soldier also died on Tuesday. Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, from Sunderland, who served in 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was killed in a fire fight near Sangin.

And on Sunday, Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard, 22, a Kent-born Royal Military Policeman who lived in Eastbourne, East Sussex, died as a result of "small arms fire" - also near Sangin.

The MoD said the Royal Military Police were investigating friendly fire as a possible cause of both of these earlier deaths.

No further information would be released until the conclusion of the inquests, it said.

Most recent UK fatalities

Total deaths 2011: 32

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Updated: Dec 18 2011

Full list

The BBC's Peter Greste in Afghanistan said the relatively high casualty toll was partly because British forces were aggressively pushing troops out into smaller patrol bases in an attempt to drive the Taliban out.

He said the Taliban had, until recently, been forced back but had since re-grouped, resulting in daily gun battles and casualties.

Our correspondent said the 3rd Battalion The Rifles had had a "particularly rough time", losing eight men since deploying three months ago.

Meanwhile, the funeral of the 100th soldier killed during 2009 while on duty in Afghanistan took place in his home town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk on Wednesday.

L/Cpl Adam Drane, 23, of the Royal Anglian Regiment, was shot in Helmand Province on 7 December.