A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, bringing the total British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 167, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed on Friday.

The soldier, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was caught in the blast while on a "deliberate operation" near Kandahar on Thursday, said the ministry in a statement.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said that: "It is an incredibly sad day for the whole of the Task Force."

It follows that of Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, who died following an explosion near Gereshk in Helmand province on June 2. The 19-year-old, from Reading, Berkshire, was killed while on patrol.

Earlier this month, around 450 troops from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland seized more than 5,500 kg of opium paste in two airborne operations.

Ten narcotic manufacturing facilities were also destroyed during the operations.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2009)