Three soldiers killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan, taking the total number of British troops killed in the country to 100, were named today by the Ministry of Defence.
They are Private Nathan Cuthbertson, Private Daniel Gamble and Private Charles David Murray, all of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2PARA).
The men were fatally injured when a lone insurgent detonated an explosive device as their routine foot patrol was returning to base.
Of the 100 British troops killed in Afghanistan since operations began in October 2001, 74 died as a result of hostile action.
The remaining 26 died from illness, accidents, non-combat injuries or have not yet been formally assigned a cause of death.
The youngest victim was Private Ben Ford (18) and the oldest was Senior Aircraftsman Gary Thompson (51).
The single worst incident was on September 2nd 2006, when 12 RAF personnel, one Royal Marine and one soldier were killed when their ageing Nimrod MR2 aircraft came down 12 miles west of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.