A British soldier was killed Wednesday in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London said. The soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, was killed in the Nahr-e Saraj district of the troubled Helmand Province, it said. The death brings to 294 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. Of these, at least 259 were killed as a result of hostile action. "He was involved in an operation that was seeking to improve freedom of movement for ordinary Afghans when tragically he was killed in an explosion," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith. He is the fifth British soldier killed this month.