Kabul: Four British soldiers, including reportedly the first British female to die in combat in Afghanistan, were killed by a roadside bomb in the south of the country, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

The Ministry said the four, one Intelligence Corps soldier and three other soldiers, were taking part in a Nato operation east of Lashkar Gah in Helmand.

According to media reports, the Ministry added that one of the four was the first British female soldier to die in combat in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown conveyed his condolences to the soldiers’ next of kin, who had been informed of the casualties.


"I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the four brave British soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and will be deeply mourned," Brown said in a statement.

"They were in the most dangerous of jobs in the most difficult of circumstances."

Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast.

The casualties bring the death toll of British servicemen in Afghanistan since 2001 to 106.

Brown recently announced plans to increase the number of British troops in Afghanistan.