A Nepali Gurkha soldier serving in the British army has died in hospital a year and a half after being injured in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, defence officials in London said on Tuesday.

The soldier, from 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, died on Monday in Birmingham, central England, where he was receiving treatment after being hit by a homemade bomb explosion in Helmand province in June 2010.

“It is with great sadness that I must confirm the death of a Gurkha soldier from 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, who had previously been seriously injured in Afghanistan,” said his commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel David Robinson. His death brings the number of British troops killed serving in Afghanistan to 395 since the launch of military action in 2001. Of these, 351 were killed in combat.

His next of kin have been informed, the defence ministry said in a statement. Britain has some 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, mainly based in Helmand where they are battling a Taliban insurgency. Britain intends to pull out all its combat troops by 2015.

Around 3,500 Gurkhas, recruited from Nepal, currently serve in the British army, including in Afghanistan, and they have their own brigade, of which the Royal Gurkha Rifles are part. About 200,000 Gurkhas fought for Britain in the two world wars.

Agence France Presse

Published on: 5 January 2012 | The Kathmandu Post