国际英语新闻：3 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

LONDON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- British Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that three British soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan, with two others injured.

    The soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment, were on a foot patrol near their base in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, when they were struck by an explosion, the Defense Ministry said.

A British soldier looks at the site where a remote controlled roadside bomb exploded in southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 6, 2008.

A medical emergency team was dispatched on a Chinook helicopter from Camp Bastion, and one soldier was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others died later of wounds sustained in the attack, the ministry said.

    According to the Sky news, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said he reflected on the most recent deaths with "both a sense of deep sadness and pride" as he asserted that the military effort was starting to achieve real change.

    "Every one of those deaths is a tragedy. Nothing can ever compensate for the loss felt by their loved ones and to them all Iextend my deepest sympathies," he said.

    "I only hope that the terrible hardship that they have been asked to bear can be eased by the certainty that in Afghanistan our forces are engaged in a most worthy and noble endeavor," he added.

    The death has brought the number of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan since November 2001 to 100. Currently Britain has over 7,800 soldiers based in Afghanistan.