The military is investigating the death of a British soldier in Afghanistan, as David Cameron continues his unannounced visit to troops in the country.
The Prime Minister arrived in the country on Monday, as it was revealed a soldier had gone missing from his checkpoint.
The serviceman's body was later discovered by an Isaf patrol after a massive manhunt was launched.
He was reportedly last seen at his checkpoint in the early hours of the morning, and the Taliban had claimed responsibility for killing him.
Nato spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick said: "He had suffered gunshot wounds.
"His exact cause of death is still to be established and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are currently under investigation.
"It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
It has been confirmed that the soldier was based in Nahr-e Saraj district and serving with The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland .
Downing Street sources said the Prime Minister was "deeply saddened" by news that the soldier had become the British armed forces' 375th fatality during the decade-long campaign.
The disappearance forced Mr Cameron to abandon part of his visit so resources could be deployed to the search.
Before the death was confirmed, the premier admitted the incident was "disturbing".
But he said the "big picture" in Afghanistan showed cause for optimism, and the country was moving into a "new phase".
He also reiterated that there would be no movement in the 2015 deadline for the UK's combat role to end.
"Of course we are going to have challenges and problems right up until the end of this mission," he said.
"In the larger picture what is happening is we are moving into a new phase. We can see an increasingly confident Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police Force able to carry out more operations on their own and able to respond to more incidents on their own."
Meanwhile, the outgoing commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has revealed that the focus of the war in the coming months will shift from Taliban strongholds in the south to the eastern border with Pakistan.
It is this area where insurgents closest to al-Qaeda are said to have a stronghold.
"The priority has been central Helmand province and Kandahar," he said. "We have made significant progress there. ... It remains a tough fight because the enemy wants to come back and try to regain the momentum the Taliban had until we took it away sometime last fall."
"We intend to hang on to those areas and solidify that progress and transition, increasingly, to a greater Afghan presence."
Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-soldier-death-probe-amid-pm-visit-040119001.html
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