Four British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

It is understood the woman was serving with the Army's Intelligence Corps, while the three men were special forces reservists. 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."

The deaths of the four British soldiers takes the number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan to 106 since the start of operations in November 2001. Nine British soldiers have died in nine days, marking a sharp upturn in violence against troops in the troubled country.

By contrast, the total death toll for UK forces between January and May was 11. Analysts had suggested the tide could be turning in the battle against the Taliban after Nato troops found they were encountering relatively little resistance in fire fights with militants.

The latest 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. 18/06/08

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