British soldier killed in Afghan blast

The solider, from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers operating with the Light Dragoons Battlegroup, was in a vehicle travelling through Babaji District in central Helmand Province when the blast occurred.

"Everyone in Task Force Helmand is deeply saddened by the death of this brave soldier who died working to make Afghanistan a better place," said Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand.

The soldier is the 211th member of the British armed forces to have been killed in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

(Reporting by Michael Holden)