KABUL - A SOLDIER with the Nato-led force helping to fight an extremist insurgency in Afghanistan was killed on New Year's Day in the volatile south, the military said on Friday.
Nato's International Security Assistance Force did not release the nationality of the soldier killed on Thursday, nor did it give any information about the circumstances of his death.
'We are saddened by this brave soldier's death, and our deepest sympathies go to his family and loved ones, especially during this season,' ISAF spokesman British Royal Navy Captain Mark Windsor said.
It was the first death of the year announced by Nato and the separate US-led coalition also fighting in Afghanistan. More than 290 international troops lost their lives in the country last year, most of them in insurgent attacks.
About 40 countries are participating in ISAF, with the main deployments in the volatile south from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands.
US soldiers deployed as part of a separate coalition also operate in the area. -- AFP
