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Three British soldiers have been killed and four injured by a rogue Afghan soldier in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The men, from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, were on duty on Tuesday morning in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand province, when the Afghan opened fire.
One of the dead is believed to be a Nepalese Gurkha and the other two were described as UK nationals.
An investigation is under way and next of kin are being informed.
There is a helpline number in the UK for concerned relatives - 08457 800900.
The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 317.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has apologised to the UK after the incident and an Afghan defence ministry spokesman said a soldier from the Afghan National Army (ANA) was being sought.
President Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the Afghanistan government was also investigating the killings.
If the incident is confirmed, he said, the government will "do everything to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice".
According to the MoD, the soldier was using a combination of weapons. It is believed that one may have been a rocket-propelled grenade.
Strenuous efforts
The spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said: "We believe these were the actions of a lone individual who has betrayed his Isaf and Afghan comrades.
"His whereabouts are currently unknown but we are making strenuous efforts to find him. He should know that his actions will not deter us from our task and we will continue to work closely with our Afghan friends to bring security to Helmand.
"Three courageous and dedicated soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice. They will be greatly missed and their actions will not be forgotten. We will remember them."
Continue reading the main story
We have sacrificed greatly together and we must ensure the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies
Gen David Petraeu NATO commander, Afghanistan
General Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of staff of the ANA, said: "The loss of any of our coalition partners affects us deeply.
"We extend our thoughts and prayers to the friends and families of our fellow soldiers."
British soldiers in Afghanistan have trained 130,000 Afghan troops since 2006, and 5,000 British troops are currently partnering members of the ANA.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said this appears to be the third incident in which a member of the Afghan security forces has opened fire on British troops.
There was one incident in 2008 when two British soldiers were shot in the leg, and another in November 2009 when five British soldiers were shot by an Afghan policeman.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said this latest tragedy will again intensify debate over the human costs of the mission in Afghanistan - and over whether the West's exit strategy, which relies on training the Afghan army and police, can hope to succeed.
Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron was being kept informed about the incident.
Soldier segregation
The Nato commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said: "This is a combined joint mission - Afghan and Alliance troopers fighting shoulder to shoulder against the Taliban and other extremists.
"We have sacrificed greatly together and we must ensure the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies."
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told the BBC it was important to remember that this was an isolated incident and "not a pattern of events".
He said: "The sort of thing you could do is to not allow Afghan forces to be armed with live ammunition in the same base as British troops unless they're about to go out on patrol, but that would severely undermine trust.
"You could segregate bases between the two - but that would not only undermine trust, but it would also prevent the essential partnering that's taking place."
Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley, a former commander in the first Gulf War, told the BBC feelings would be "running high" over the next few days, "not only among the soldiers involved but also in this country, where people are going to continue to ask the question 'Is it all worthwhile?'"
BBC News - Three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan
The men, from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, were on duty on Tuesday morning in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand province, when the Afghan opened fire.
One of the dead is believed to be a Nepalese Gurkha and the other two were described as UK nationals.
An investigation is under way and next of kin are being informed.
There is a helpline number in the UK for concerned relatives - 08457 800900.
The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 317.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has apologised to the UK after the incident and an Afghan defence ministry spokesman said a soldier from the Afghan National Army (ANA) was being sought.
President Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the Afghanistan government was also investigating the killings.
If the incident is confirmed, he said, the government will "do everything to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice".
According to the MoD, the soldier was using a combination of weapons. It is believed that one may have been a rocket-propelled grenade.
Strenuous efforts
The spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said: "We believe these were the actions of a lone individual who has betrayed his Isaf and Afghan comrades.
"His whereabouts are currently unknown but we are making strenuous efforts to find him. He should know that his actions will not deter us from our task and we will continue to work closely with our Afghan friends to bring security to Helmand.
"Three courageous and dedicated soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice. They will be greatly missed and their actions will not be forgotten. We will remember them."
Continue reading the main story
We have sacrificed greatly together and we must ensure the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies
Gen David Petraeu NATO commander, Afghanistan
General Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of staff of the ANA, said: "The loss of any of our coalition partners affects us deeply.
"We extend our thoughts and prayers to the friends and families of our fellow soldiers."
British soldiers in Afghanistan have trained 130,000 Afghan troops since 2006, and 5,000 British troops are currently partnering members of the ANA.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said this appears to be the third incident in which a member of the Afghan security forces has opened fire on British troops.
There was one incident in 2008 when two British soldiers were shot in the leg, and another in November 2009 when five British soldiers were shot by an Afghan policeman.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said this latest tragedy will again intensify debate over the human costs of the mission in Afghanistan - and over whether the West's exit strategy, which relies on training the Afghan army and police, can hope to succeed.
Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron was being kept informed about the incident.
Soldier segregation
The Nato commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said: "This is a combined joint mission - Afghan and Alliance troopers fighting shoulder to shoulder against the Taliban and other extremists.
"We have sacrificed greatly together and we must ensure the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies."
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told the BBC it was important to remember that this was an isolated incident and "not a pattern of events".
He said: "The sort of thing you could do is to not allow Afghan forces to be armed with live ammunition in the same base as British troops unless they're about to go out on patrol, but that would severely undermine trust.
"You could segregate bases between the two - but that would not only undermine trust, but it would also prevent the essential partnering that's taking place."
Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley, a former commander in the first Gulf War, told the BBC feelings would be "running high" over the next few days, "not only among the soldiers involved but also in this country, where people are going to continue to ask the question 'Is it all worthwhile?'"
BBC News - Three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan
