A British occupation soldier was killed in an explosion while on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, taking to 46 the number of British soldiers killed in the war-torn country this year.

A British occupation soldier was killed in an explosion while on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, taking to 46 the number of British soldiers killed in the war-torn country this year.

The Ministry of Defense on Saturday announced in a statement “the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment on 30th December 2011 in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province”.

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.