As violence continues to intensify in war-torn Afghanistan, figures released by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) suggest that only less than a third of wounded British troops were hurt in action.
The new government statistics put the number of injured-in-action soldier since the 2001 invasion at 1,109, with the majority of incidents occurring since 2006.
This is while the total number of injuries, including non-action accidents, stands at 3,408.
The number of combat injuries in 2009 was more than double the previous year, crossing a 500 milestone.
The MoD also disclosed that up until the end of 2009, 168 troops had suffered amputations or lost parts of limbs or eyes in battle with militants or from improvised explosive devices.
Government figures for January 2010 alone show nearly 50 soldiers have been wounded, more than half the number for the whole of 2006.
After witnessing their deadliest year in 2009 with 109 fatalities, British soldiers have been ordered to join a bloody end-game with Afghan and US troops in the war-torn country's volatile Helmand province, where the Taliban are the strongest.
Commanders expect the casualties in the militancy-ridden province to increase in certain areas, prompting Afghan civilians to flee their homes in fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
