By DPA,
London : Britain has lost 100 soldiers in the war in Afghanistan this year, the ministry of defence confirmed Friday.
A 22-year-old soldier from the Irish guards was killed Wednesday by small arms fire while on patrol in Helmand province.
His death makes it likely that 2010 could become as deadly for British troops as last year. In 2009, 108 British soldiers died in the Afghan conflict, according to the website icasualties.org.
Britain has lost 345 soldiers in total since the beginning of the war in 2001.
Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday reiterated his intention of pulling out of the country by 2015.
Friday’s announcement came as NATO leaders gathered in Lisbon for a summit at which the timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan was set to be on the agenda.