British soldier missing in Afghanistan found dead

LONDON: A British soldier reported missing in Afghanistan on Monday has been found dead with gunshot wounds, the defence ministry in London said. The soldier’s body was found following an extensive search of the Nahr-e-Saraj district in Afghanistan’s troubled southern Helmand Province after he was reported missing from an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) checkpoint. The incident comes as Prime Minister David Cameron made an unannounced visit to British troops in Helmand. He was forced to scrap a trip to an Afghan town he had previously held up as an example of improved security. Separately, Taliban have claimed that the British soldier was captured by their fighters, but died in the crossfire during a battle with NATO troops. The Taliban claim could not be independently confirmed. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said that the soldier was captured on Monday, but died shortly afterward in the crossfire. NATO says the coalition has no report of a gun-battle in Babaji on Monday and that its soldiers were still searching for the missing British service member. agencies