LONDON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A British soldier who died during a clash with enemy forces in Afghanistan was possibly killed by "friendly fire," the British Defense Ministry says.
The soldier from the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment was fatally wounded Sunday in Nad Ali, Helmand province, bringing the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 346, the BBC reported Monday.
Initial reports indicate U.S. forces responded to a U.K. request for an air strike that killed the soldier, whose name has not been released.
It is not known whether the soldier was killed by arms fire, shrapnel or the result of bombing.
"While conducting a dismounted patrol, Afghan and coalition forces were engaged with enemy forces and requested close air support to suppress the enemy fire," a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
"In the subsequent contact, an ISAF service member was killed. The investigation is to determine if the ISAF casualty was caused by enemy or friendly-force fire."
