Two Hunders Death In Afghanistan Of Britian Soldiers

UK, LONDON: A British soldier wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan died Saturday, the defense ministry said, bringing the country’s military death toll there to 200.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the grim milestone “deeply tragic news.” It is sure to raise more questions about Britain’s increasingly perilous mission in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defense said the soldier from 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh died Saturday at a military hospital in England.

He had been wounded in a blast while on vehicle patrol Thursday in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Three other British troops were killed by roadside bombs in a separate incident in Afghanistan the same day.

Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, most based in Helmand, a center of Taliban insurgents.

The British military suffered 22 fatalities in July, its bloodiest month since the invasion of Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Nine British troops have been killed so far this month.

The rising toll — more than the 179 personnel who died in Iraq — has reignited a debate in Britain about its role in the war and the quality of its military equipment. The Afghan campaign has long been divisive, with polls showing Britons about evenly split between supporters and opponents of the mission.

The prime minister said the mission to defeat the Taliban was essential to British security because “three-quarters of terrorist plots against Britain come from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

“British troops are fighting bravely there to protect us,” Brown said. “The best way to honor the memory of those who have died is to see that commitment through.”

Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said it was a “grim day” but that Britain must stay focused on its mission in Afghanistan.

“This is a difficult time but we must all take solace from the fact that, although sometimes slow, we have been making good progress in Afghanistan,” Ainsworth said. “We must all stay focused on the mission, on why it matters and what is at stake.”

Afghans are due to vote Thursday in presidential elections, seen by the international community as a key marker of the country’s progress towards becoming a stable democracy.