A British soldier was killed on Sunday in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the third in 24 hours to die during a major operation against the Taliban, the defence ministry said.
"It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a soldier from 1st Battalion Welsh Guards has been killed in a contact explosion," said a statement issued by the ministry in London.
Operation Panther's Claw, a major airborne assault launched two weeks ago against a Taliban stronghold near Gereshk, in central Helmand province, has already claimed the lives of four British soldiers.
Two died on Saturday evening, the ministry announced earlier, adding, "the first soldier was killed by a rocket propelled grenade attack and the second soldier by a contact explosion".
Another two were killed in an explosion on Wednesday, one of them the first commanding officer to die in operations since 1991.
The latest deaths bring to 174 the total number of British service personnel who have died during Afghan operations since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
As the British conduct their operation, about 4,000 U.S. Marines are meanwhile fighting in insurgent bastions further south.