A British soldier has died in a gun battle with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, officials said Saturday in London. The officer was conducting a routine patrol in the southern province of Helmand Friday evening when his unit spotted five Taliban fighters planning an ambush, dpa reported. The soldier was shot and wounded during an exchange of fire with the Taliban and later died in a British military base despite being rescued from the scene. The number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of military operations in November 2001 has risen to 53 with the soldier's death.
