1 soldat britannique du 2nd the Riffle tué en Afghanistan

LONDON (Reuters) - A British army soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan was named on Friday as Rifleman Aminiasi Toge of 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Toge, 26, from Fiji, died from the blast while on foot patrol near Gereshk in the southern Helmand province on Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of Defence said.
He was the 16th British army soldier to be killed this month and the 185th to be killed since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2001.



"We have lost a courageous man of great stature -- there was no truer moral compass in the battle group but there was mischief too, all very appropriate and full of fun," said his commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson.

"Rifleman Toge was one of the toughest Riflemen under my command and he was adored, heart-breakingly so, by all who had the privilege to encounter him," Thomson added.
Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, the vast majority of them in Helmand, which has been a focus of fighting against Taliban insurgents.
British and U.S. forces are involved in a major operation to try to recapture territory from the Taliban in the province.

The growing number of deaths has raised questions over whether Britain has enough soldiers on the ground and the right equipment for the job -- and even if British troops should be there at all.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the presence in Afghanistan is vital to prevent militants linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda from exporting terrorism to the streets of Britain.
(Reporting by Michael Holden and Tim Castle)

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