A British soldier has died after he was shot during a gun battle in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier, from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, died on Wednesday as a result of a gunshot wound sustained during an exchange of fire with insurgents near Showal, in the Nad-e-Ali District of Helmand Province.
Next of kin was informed.
The latest death took the number of British service personnel who died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 281 and was the third fatality this month.
Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, the spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the soldier was killed in an area to the south east of Showal in Nad-e Ali District, central Helmand.
"He was on a foot patrol which came under attack from insurgents and in the ensuing fire-fight he was shot and killed.
"He died doing his duty and he will be deeply missed by us, his comrades, but his indomitable courage in the face of the enemy will be remembered."
The town of Showal was taken during Operation Moshtarak, which targeted Taliban strongholds in central Helmand, and is now being held by coalition forces.
