A NORTH-EAST soldier shot dead in Afghanistan during a gunfight with Taliban fighters was named as Guardsman Simon Davison.
The 22-year-old, who was in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and is from Newcastle, is the first British serviceman to die in Afghanistan this month.
He was killed by small arms fire after coming under attack while manning a general-purpose machine-gun at a checkpoint near the town of Garmsir in Helmand Province.
A gun battle broke out at the checkpoint early on Thursday morning when a force of between eight and ten Taliban fighters opened fire and Guardsman Davison was fatally wounded.
He was a member of Number 3 Company of the Guards, which is responsible for protecting Patrol Base Delhi and local security in the immediate area.
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