UK soldier killed in Afghanistan

Story Highlights

• British soldier dies in firefight with Taliban, Defense Ministry says
• NATO troops were returning from routine patrol in northwest
• Patrol came upon small Taliban team, then larger contingent
• Helicopters arrived to fight insurgents, evacuate casualties

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(CNN) -- A British soldier on a routine patrol was killed in a firefight with Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan Friday, the British Defense Ministry said.

The incident occurred in Now Zad, in northwest Helmand province, where British troops in NATO's International Security Assistance Force are based.

NATO earlier reported a death in southern Afghanistan but did not release the soldier's nationality.

The fighting left militants dead as well.

Members of the unit "were returning from a routine security reassurance patrol when they spotted a five-man Taliban team attempting to set up an ambush," the Defense Ministry said. That occurred around 9:30 a.m.

The patrol engaged the militants and was then confronted by a larger Taliban force, the ministry said.

"It was during this firefight that a member of the patrol received serious gunshot wounds and a Chinook helicopter from the Incident Response Team rushed to the scene, supported by an Apache attack helicopter," it said. "The Chinook landed at the scene under constant fire, while the Apache engaged the Taliban forces with its 30 mm cannon."

The soldier, evacuated to a medical facility at a British base, was pronounced dead on arrival, the ministry said.

"The patrol were later engaged by another large Taliban force in a contact which lasted over two hours. An initial estimate is that a significant number of the enemy were killed," it said.

Two other soldiers were wounded, it said.

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