July 26, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 22, 1429

KABUL: A British army dog handler was fatally shot by militants in southern Afghanistan, where a Danish soldier died in a roadside bomb attack, officials said on Friday.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the soldier from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps was hit by small arms fire during a patrol in the Sangin area of Helmand province on Thursday. An explosives sniffer dog also died. Six troops were wounded, all from the elite Parachute Regiment, the ministry said.

The latest death brings the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 112.

Southern Afghanistan is at the centre of the Taliban-led resistance that has killed more than 2,700 people so far this year. The militants also exert significant influence in Afghanistan’s east nearly seven years after a US-led invasion of the country ousted the Taliban from overall control.

Denmark’s army said a Danish soldier was killed and three others were wounded on Friday when their armoured vehicle hit an explosive device, also in Helmand province.

The victim was a member of the Jutland Dragoon Regiment, the Danish army said.

The death brings the number of Danish troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 15.

Separately, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry said three Taliban militants died in a fight with police in Gereshk district, also in Helmand, on Friday.--AP