LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - A British soldier has been killed in combat in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, Britain's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The soldier's death, which occurred on Monday, brought to 145 the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 when U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban from power.

Britain has about 8,000 troops based in Afghanistan as part of a NATO force and most of them are deployed in Helmand where Taliban insurgents are highly active.

(Editing by Ralph Gowling)

AlertNet news is provided by