British Marine killed by mine in Afghanistan

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) A British Royal Marine was killed by an anti-personnel mine while on patrol in Afghanistan today, the Ministry of Defence said.

''It is with deep regret that I must today confirm the death of a Royal Marine during operations in Helmand Province,'' Colonel Ian Huntley said in a statement.

''Despite the demanding circumstances and their sense of loss, our Marines continue to display their professionalism, determination and dedication.'' Yesterday, Britain accused its NATO allies of failing to send enough troops and hardware to fight Taliban guerrillas in southern Afghanistan.

NATO has a force of more than 30,000 troops in Afghanistan and many countries have contributed, but the brunt of the fighting has been borne by U.S., British, Canadian and Dutch forces deployed in the restive south.

Britain is due to increase its troop numbers in the south of Afghanistan by 800 over the next few months, adding a third battalion of infantry and bringing its total above 6,000, nearly all deployed in the south.

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