A soldier from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment has died after an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said today.The soldier's next of kin have been informed.

A SOLDIER from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment has died after an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said today.

The soldier's next of kin have been informed.

He died while on foot patrol in the Nad-e Ali area, Helmand Province, yesterday afternoon.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, said: “His dauntless courage and his sacrifice will not be forgotten.'

His death takes the number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 246.

This figure includes deaths in the war and those personnel who died through accidents or illness.

The Anglians, known as the Vikings, were the first to suffer a casualty in Afghanistan in 2002 and incurred the 100th British death when Lance Corporal Adam Drane from Stanningfield near Bury St Edmunds was killed on Monday, December 7.

Last year was the bloodiest for British forces since the Falklands War in 1982 with 108 British soldiers dying while serving in Afghanistan.

Almost twice as many British soldiers were killed in Helmand last year as in the whole of 2008, which made it the bloodiest year for British forces since the Falklands war in 1982.

After Lance Corparal Drane's death, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, chief of the defence staff, said: "Our people face a difficult and dangerous task in Afghanistan, and 2009 has been a particularly challenging year."

In addition to fatalities, more than 140 British troops received life-threatening injuries last year, compared with 65 in 2008.

More than 1,000 troops were admitted to field hospitals in 2009.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been the deadliest threat to coalition forces.

- Royal Anglian casualties in Afghanistan:

The largest loss of life came on August 23, 2007, when three Vikings - Aaron McLure, from Ipswich, Robert Foster, from Harlow, and John Thrumble, from Chelmsford, all died in a “friendly fire” incident in Helmand Province.

The full list of casualties is:

- Pte Darren George, aged 23, died on April 9, 2002.

- Pte Chris Gray, 19, April 13, 2007.

- Lance Cpl George Davey, 23, May 20, 2007.

- Cpl Darren Bonner, 31, May 28, 2007.

- Lance Cpl Alex Hawkins, 22, July 25, 2007.

- Pte Tony Rawson, 27, August 10, 2007.

- Cpl David Hicks, 26, August 11, 2007.

- Pte Aaron McLure, 19, August 23, 2007.

- Pte Robert Foster, 19, August 23, 2007.

- Pte John Thrumble, 21, August 23, 2007.

- Lance Cpl Adam Drane, 23, December 7, 2009.

- Unnamed soldier, January 3, 2010.