NATO soldier killed in southern Afghanistan

Kabul, Dec 28: A NATO soldier was killed and three injured, one seriously, after a blast caused their vehicle to crash during a reconnaissance mission in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said today.

It did not give the nationalities of the soldiers, nor more details of yesterday's incident in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold. NATO said in a statement it was investigating.

Most troops deployed in Helmand as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force are British.

More than 160 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, a year which has seen the worst fighting since the Taliban were ousted by US-led forces in 2001.

Most of the fighting has been in the south and east bordering Pakistan, where the Taliban has safe havens.

Reuters