Tributes were paid to the sacrifice of Britain's troops tonight as the number killed in Afghanistan this year reached 100.
The grim toll was reached when a soldier from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment died today in a gunfight with the Taliban.
Relatives were informed of the awful news only 18 days before Christmas Day.
The fallen of 2009: Faces of British soldiers among the 100 to die this year
The soldier was shot dead during a gun battle with insurgents near the town of Nad-e Ali, in the badlands of central Helmand. Since the 2001 invasion, 237 UK servicemen have died.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the 'bravery and sacrifice' of the warriors who had laid down their lives for the country this year.
