British soldier killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier was killed by a suspected roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan as he drove an ambulance back to base, the Ministry of Defence said today.

Corporal Jason Barnes, 25, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached to 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, died on Tuesday.

His commanding officer said he was killed helping others when he could have "taken an easier path" and praised his "commitment and bloody-minded determination".