Soldier killed in Afghanistan had Military Cross

The latest British soldier killed in Afghanistan had received one of the nation's highest awards for gallantry, it was revealed tonight.

Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett, 29, from Monifieth in Angus, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, died while on a patrol in the Gereshk district of Helmand Province yesterday morning.

In 2007, he was awarded the Military Cross for his "selfless commitment and unshakeable bravery" in fighting and leading his platoon to rescue wounded comrades trapped in a Taliban ambush, the Ministry of Defence said.

His death took the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 217. Two other soldiers were injured in the same incident