He was serving with the Royal Logistic Corps and was killed in Kabul, a spokeswoman told AFP.

"It is with great regret that we can confirm that a British soldier serving with the Royal Logistic Corps has been killed in a road traffic accident in Camp Souter in Kabul, Afghanistan," she said.

"The next of kin have been informed and they have requested a period of time to inform friends and family before his name is made public. We would ask the media to respect their wishes."

The ministry declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the soldier's death which brings the British death toll in Afghanistan to 18 since the start of military operations in November 2001.

Of the previous 17, 12 are classified as having been killed in action.

Private Andrew Cutts, also of the Royal Logistic Corps, was the last British soldier to have died in Afghanistan. He was killed in the southern Helmand province on Sunday.

Some 4,000 British troops are in Helmand, with the figure set to rise to around 4,500. A further 1,000 are in Kabul, while a few hundred are in the southern city of Kandahar.

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