AN Army dog handler and his animal have been shot dead in Afghanistan, while five Essex soldiers were left injured in the attack.

AN Army dog handler and his animal have been shot dead in Afghanistan, while five Essex soldiers were left injured in the attack.

The dog handler, who was attached to the Colchester-based 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, died when he came under attack on patrol in the Sangin area of Helmand Province yesterday.

Another six soldiers were wounded and an explosives sniffer dog was killed in the incident.

Five of the injured soldiers were from 2 Para, with the sixth from 3 Para.

One of the casualties suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and is being airlifted to the UK for further treatment, but the other five are now returning to duties.

The handler was from The Royal Army Veterinary Corps, based at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

The latest death comes after Corporal Jason Barnes, 25, from Colchester, was killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand on Tuesday as he drove an ambulance back to base.