A British soldier was killed by suicide car bombing in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the British Defense Ministry said. It was the second death this month of a NATO-led coalition service member.

The soldier was reportedly from the 3rd Battalion "The Mercian Regiment" was killed while on patrol in the area of Kamparak, east of Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand province.

The Defense Ministry did not name the soldier but said that his family members had been informed.

The incident brings the number of the British troop who have died in combat in Afghanistan this year to seven.

Britain has roughly 7,900 soldiers left in Afghanistan, with most of them based in southern Helmand province. The country has lost 445 soldiers to combat in Afghanistan since joining the U.S. invasion in 2001.