A US&nbsp;soldier killed by an improvised bomb in Afghanistan has been identified as Army Sgt. 1st Class Elis A. Barreto Ortiz of Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense said on Friday.

Barreto, 34 and based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was killed on Thursday when an improvised bomb in a vehicle exploded in a suicide attack near his vehicle in the Afghan capital Kabul, the department said in a statement.

Barreto was a paratrooper and maintenance control sergeant in the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion.

A Romanian soldier also died in the attack near a neighbourhood in Kabul that housed embassy staff from the United States and other countries, the Army Times reported on its website.

The incident is under investigation, the department said.

A US soldier killed by an improvised bomb in Afghanistan has been identified as Army Sgt. 1st Class Elis A. Barreto Ortiz of Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense said on Friday.

A US soldier killed by an improvised bomb in Afghanistan has been identified as Army Sgt. 1st Class Elis A. Barreto Ortiz of Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense said on Friday. Barreto, 34 and based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was killed on Thursday when an improvised bomb in a vehicle exploded in a suicide attack near his vehicle in the Afghan capital Kabul, the department said in a statement. Barreto was a paratrooper and maintenance control sergeant in the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion. A Romanian soldier also died in the attack near a neighbourhood in Kabul that housed embassy staff from the United States and other countries, the Army Times reported on its website. The incident is under investigation, the department said.

United States soldier killed in Afghanistan identified

A solider on Wednesday died in Kolkata due to suspected Nipah virus infection which has left a total of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-death-toll-from-nipah-virus-rises-to-14-140144">14 dead in Kerala</a> till now, reports said.&nbsp;

As per reports, the soldier was from Kerala and was posted at Fort William. He was admitted to the hospital on April 20 and died on Sunday.&nbsp;

The brain-damaging infection first broke out in Kerala. The state government has also issued an advisory, asking travelers to avoid visiting the four districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, and Kannur.

The Nipah virus, which is spread by fruit bats and pigs, can cause a communicable disease that can be fatal for both animals and humans.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nipah-virus-scare-hunt-for-origin-of-mysterious-brain-damaging-virus-stepped-up-140813">A fresh round of tests </a>have begun to trace the origin of the infection, a health official said on Monday. The initial tests on animals suspected of carrying the Nipah virus showed no sign of the disease.

All animal samples, including those from bats, cattle, goats and pigs from Kerala, sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, were negative for Nipah, said animal husbandry officer A Mohandas.

No confirmed cases of the virus have been found outside the state. However, Goa, Maharashtra, Himachal, Chhatisgarh and many other <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nipah-virus-bihar-sikkim-mp-puducherry-issue-advisories-for-people-140107">states have been put on high alert</a>.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-nipah-virus-hampers-tourism-locals-blame-media-139619">Kerala: Nipah virus hampers tourism, locals blame media</a>

There is no vaccine for the virus, which is spread through body fluids and can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned imports of fresh vegetables and fruits from Kerala where 13 people have died due to an outbreak of the rare brain-damaging Nipah virus, the Gulf state said on Tuesday.

Last week, the UAE consulate in Kerala advised travelers to take precautions and follow safety instructions issued by the Indian authorities.

The Gulf state has also banned imports of live animals from South Africa, based on a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the registration of Rift Valley Fever disease, the ministry said.

South Africa's Department of Agriculture said on May 16 that an outbreak of the disease had been confirmed in sheep on a single farm in the central Free State province and that further investigations were being conducted.

The Nipah virus, which is spread by fruit bats and pigs, can cause a communicable disease that can be fatal for both animals and humans

A solider on Wednesday died in Kolkata due to suspected Nipah virus infection which has left a total of 14 dead in Kerala till now, reports said. As per reports, the soldier was from Kerala and was posted at Fort William. He was admitted to the hospital on April 20 and died on Sunday. The brain-damaging infection first broke out in Kerala. The state government has also issued an advisory, asking travelers to avoid visiting the four districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, and Kannur. The Nipah virus, which is spread by fruit bats and pigs, can cause a communicable disease that can be fatal for both animals and humans. A fresh round of tests have begun to trace the origin of the infection, a health official said on Monday. The initial tests on animals suspected of carrying the Nipah virus showed no sign of the disease. All animal samples, including those from bats, cattle, goats and pigs from Kerala, sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, were negative for Nipah, said animal husbandry officer A Mohandas. No confirmed cases of the virus have been found outside the state. However, Goa, Maharashtra, Himachal, Chhatisgarh and many other states have been put on high alert. Also read: Kerala: Nipah virus hampers tourism, locals blame media There is no vaccine for the virus, which is spread through body fluids and can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned imports of fresh vegetables and fruits from Kerala where 13 people have died due to an outbreak of the rare brain-damaging Nipah virus, the Gulf state said on Tuesday. Last week, the UAE consulate in Kerala advised travelers to take precautions and follow safety instructions issued by the Indian authorities. The Gulf state has also banned imports of live animals from South Africa, based on a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the registration of Rift Valley Fever disease, the ministry said. South Africa's Department of Agriculture said on May 16 that an outbreak of the disease had been confirmed in sheep on a single farm in the central Free State province and that further investigations were being conducted.

Solider dies in Kolkata due to suspected Nipah virus

A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction.

The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as &quot;Marine A&quot; during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain.&nbsp;

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<h5>&#39;There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It&#39;s nothing you wouldn&#39;t do to us,&#39; said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare&#39;s &#39;Hamlet&#39; after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol</h5>
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On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province.

&quot;There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It&#39;s nothing you wouldn&#39;t do to us,&quot; said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare&#39;s &quot;Hamlet&quot; after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol.

&quot;Obviously this doesn&#39;t go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention,&quot; he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war.&nbsp;

Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial.

The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield.&nbsp;

&quot;You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood,&quot; judge Jeff Blackett told Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum.&nbsp;

&quot;By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation,&quot; Blackett added.

The conviction was supported by Britain&#39;s then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: &quot;Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime.&quot;

But now Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail.

&#39;Icing on the cake&#39;&nbsp;

The soldier&#39;s legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter, following a Royal Navy review which suggests Blackman was suffering from post-traumatic stress at the time of the shooting.&nbsp;

Blackman has denied murder and claimed he shot the Taliban fighter once the insurgent was already dead.&nbsp;

His wife, Claire Blackman, told the BBC she hoped to have her husband home for Christmas.

&quot;Bail would be the icing on the cake,&quot; she said.

Dozens of veterans are due to gather on Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice to call for &quot;Justice for Marine A, abandoned by the government,&quot; according to a poster.

Blackman&#39;s supporters include Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, who said the soldier had been &quot;thrown to the wolves by cowards&quot;.

MP Richard Draw and author Frederick Forsyth have promised to pay the &pound;200,000 bail.

The Daily Mail newspaper has also campaigned against the murder conviction.

&quot;Did a man who for 13 years risked his life defending his country, often in the most appalling environment... really deserve to be tried for murder and thrown in jail like a common criminal?&quot; the right-wing newspaper wrote.

Beyond the &quot;Marine A&quot; case, British tabloids have campaigned against former soldiers facing trial for alleged crimes committed while on duty.

They received support from Prime Minister Theresa May, who in October promised to &quot;put an end to the industry of vexatious claims that has pursued those who served in previous conflicts&quot;.

(AFP)

He shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter, then quoted Shakespeare

A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction. The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as "Marine A" during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain. 'There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us,' said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol × On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province. "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us," said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare's "Hamlet" after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol. "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention," he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war. Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial. The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield. "You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood," judge Jeff Blackett told Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum. "By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation," Blackett added. The conviction was supported by Britain's then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: "Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime." But now Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail. 'Icing on the cake' The soldier's legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter, following a Royal Navy review which suggests Blackman was suffering from post-traumatic stress at the time of the shooting. Blackman has denied murder and claimed he shot the Taliban fighter once the insurgent was already dead. His wife, Claire Blackman, told the BBC she hoped to have her husband home for Christmas. "Bail would be the icing on the cake," she said. Dozens of veterans are due to gather on Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice to call for "Justice for Marine A, abandoned by the government," according to a poster. Blackman's supporters include Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, who said the soldier had been "thrown to the wolves by cowards". MP Richard Draw and author Frederick Forsyth have promised to pay the £200,000 bail. The Daily Mail newspaper has also campaigned against the murder conviction. "Did a man who for 13 years risked his life defending his country, often in the most appalling environment... really deserve to be tried for murder and thrown in jail like a common criminal?" the right-wing newspaper wrote. Beyond the "Marine A" case, British tabloids have campaigned against former soldiers facing trial for alleged crimes committed while on duty. They received support from Prime Minister Theresa May, who in October promised to "put an end to the industry of vexatious claims that has pursued those who served in previous conflicts". (AFP)

British soldier who killed Taliban fighter divides UK

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