A soldier serving with the NATO force in southern Afghanistan was killed Sunday during an attack in Helmand province.
The soldier, whose nationality was not given, was shot during a multinational operation in Musa Qala district, said the alliance's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a statement.
The defence ministry in London said the soldier was British.
"The incident occurred when ISAF troops came under small arms fire, following a successful mission," ISAF said.
The force Sunday launched an operation in the district "to reduce insurgent presence and to ensure ISAF freedom of manoeuvre," it said.
It was the ninth soldier killed in the south since NATO took command of military operations there last Monday.
On Tuesday three British soldiers were killed in combat in Helmand and on Thursday four Canadians died in Kandahar province.
Another Canadian died in a traffic accident.
Britain has 3,300 troops in the south, two-thirds in Helmand. The Canadians have 2,300 soldiers in Kandahar.
