A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. The soldier, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, died while on foot patrol in the Shaparak area of the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Friday, the BBC reported. Maj Rolf Kurth, of Task Force Helmand, said the soldier had been taking part in a community involvement project. A total of 379 UK troops have died in Afghan military operations since 2001. "The soldier was part of a foot patrol promoting a local community engagement project when he was killed in an explosion. The soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED).