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Taleban battle kills UK soldier
British troops are stationed in the southern province of Helmand
One British soldier has been killed and one seriously injured after a battle with the Taleban in southern Afghanistan, military sources say.
The death is believed to be the first fatality since British troops deployed to the volatile area of Helmand province in recent months.
It came after a US soldier was killed in a bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan.
About 3,300 British troops are based in Helmand as part of the Nato-led peacekeeping force.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "It is with great regret that I can confirm that UK forces have suffered a fatality as a result of an incident in the Helmand province of Afghanistan."
The death happened when gun fire was exchanged in Sangeen, a small town taken from Taleban control earlier this year by Afghan security forces backed by US air power.
The injured British soldier had been taken by helicopter to the main military base in Helmand, Camp Bastion.
Afghan sources said several Taleban soldiers were killed in the fighting.
British Apache helicopter gunships were called in to support the troops.
The Army's deployment to Helmand, led by 16 Air Assault Brigade, began earlier this year and was expected to be completed by June.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5070098.stm
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