Six Nato troops, including a soldier from the British army, have died in separate incidents in Afghanistan, officials said today.
A soldier from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh died today following an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said. The serviceman, whose next of kin have been informed, was caught in the explosion this morning while on a vehicle patrol in the Musa Qal'eh district of northern Helmand province.
"The death of this brave soldier from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh is mourned by his friends, colleagues and all of us serving in Task Force Helmand," a spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, said.
Nato said two US service members died yesterday: one killed bu a roadside bomb and the other in an insurgent attack.
Elsewhere, French officials said three soldiers died in a violent storm in north-eastern Afghanistan late last night.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said the three died while taking part in an operation in the Afghanya Valley. A French military spokesman, Christophe Prazuck, said one of the soldiers was struck by lightning while the other two were swept away by a flooding river.
The three were among 600 French soldiers patrolling Afghanistan's Kapisa region. The statement from Sarkozy's office said he sent condolences to their families and reaffirmed France's commitment to "re-establishing peace and development in Afghanistan".
Afghanistan's energy minister, Ismail Khan, escaped unhurt after an explosion today outside a girls' school which killed four civilians, police said.
A convoy carrying Khan, a power broker in the western region of Herat, was headed to the airport when the bomb exploded outside the school, said Raouf Ahmadi, a police spokesman. he said four civilians died and 17 people were wounded, including four of Khan's bodyguards. Khan was unharmed and arrived safely at the airport.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for what he said was a car bomb targeting Khan.
This year has been the deadliest of the eight-year war for US and Nato troops. The latest six deaths bring the number of Nato troops killed this month to 64.
The latest death takes the total number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 218.