THE first British woman was killed in action in Afghanistan in a blast that also claimed the lives of three other soldiers.
They were taking part in an operation east of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province when their vehicle was caught in an explosion at about 3.40pm local time yesterday.
Three of the soldiers were killed in the blast, while the fourth was pronounced dead
on arrival at Camp Bastion, the Ministry of Defence said.
It is understood that the woman was serving with the Army's Intelligence Corps.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed his "deepest condolences" to the families of the four soldiers.
He said: "They were in the most dangerous of jobs in the most difficult of circumstances.
"I salute not just their bravery, dedication and professionalism but that of all our armed forces. Our troops are the best in the world and fighting for the noblest of causes."
A fifth soldier wounded in the attack is said to be in a stable condition.
Nine British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in nine days, marking a sharp upturn in violence against troops in the troubled country.
Five soldiers from 2 Para, based in Colchester, Essex, died in two separate incidents last week.
By contrast, the total death toll for UK forces between January and May was 11.
Yesterday's incident was the biggest single loss of life for British troops since September 2006, when 14 personnel were killed when an RAF Nimrod came down near Kandahar.
The deaths take the number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001 to 106.
Military leaders and analysts had suggested the tide could be turning in the battle against the Taliban before the recent deaths.
Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the commander of British forces in Helmand, said earlier this month that the fight against insurgents was at a "tipping point".
He told the Daily Telegraph: "The Taliban are much weaker. The tide is clearly ebbing, not flowing, for them. Their chain of command is disrupted and they are short of weapons and ammunition."
Defence Secretary Des Browne announced on Monday that hundreds more British personnel would be deployed to Afghanistan, taking troop numbers to a record high of 8,030 by next spring.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband today praised the "extraordinary professionalism, bravery and intelligence" of Britain's armed forces.
He told Sky News: "We are in Afghanistan, where there are soldiers, diplomats or aid workers, with a very clear mission to make sure that Afghanistan has its own institution and its own security forces that ensure never again does it become a base for al Qaida.
"So we are there with a very clear national interest."
Brigadier General Carlos Branco, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, said: "Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the family and friends of the brave soldiers who were killed today.
"These soldiers died and were wounded trying to help bring peace and security for the Afghan people."
News of the four deaths came as Afghan and Canadian troops launched an operation to drive Taliban militants out of villages in southern Afghanistan.
Afghan officials said yesterday that 300 to 400 insurgents were operating in the Arghandab region to the north west of Kandahar city.
Nato spokesman Mark Laity said troops exchanged fire with militants during "a few minor contacts" early today but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Taliban launched their attack on Arghandab three days after freeing 400 of their fighters from Sarposa Prison in Kandahar in a co-ordinated raid.
The full article contains 613 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
