Blast kills British soldier in Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed in an explosion while on foot patrol in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense said Saturday, becoming the 46th Briton to die there this year.

"It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defense must announce the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment on 30th December 2011 in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province," a statement said.

The majority of Britain's 9,500 troops in Afghanistan are based in Helmand, a restive province in the south, where they are fighting Taliban militants as part of an international coalition led by the United States.

The death brings to 394 the number of British servicemen and women who have died in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001.