British toll in Afghan conflict reaches 200 mark

The soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, died yesterday at the Royal College of Defence Medicine, in Selly Oak, West Midlands.

He had been in a vehicle hit by an explosion while on vehicle patrol near Musa Qaleh in Helmand province on Thursday morning.

His next of kin have been informed.

The announcement came just hours after three British troops killed providing security for the Afghan elections were named by the Ministry of Defence.

Gordon Brown pledged to press ahead with the "vital" mission in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister said news that the milestone had been reached, after a soldier died from injuries sustained in a roadside bomb blast, was "deeply tragic".

But he insisted: "My commitment is clear: we must and will make Britain safer by making Afghanistan more stable.

"We will honour and support those who have been killed or wounded in the field of battle. And we will give those who fight on all the support that they need to succeed in this vital mission."

Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth said: "This is a grim day. 200 brave service men and women have lost their lives in Afghanistan, bringing unbearable pain and immeasurable loss to their families and friends.

"We mourn every single one of them, as we mourn the lives of those from our partners within Nato and the Afghan National Security Forces. My thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues."

Ainsworth described the recent offensive against the Taleban – Operation Panther's Claw – as a "tough fight", but said it had brought nearly 80,000 Afghans out from under the "tyranny of the Taleban".

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "We must remember that every death is a tragedy for the family and friends of the service personnel involved.

"There is no more stark reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of British troops in Helmand.

"We are fortunate in this country that we have men and women willing to volunteer to defend the freedoms we are all so lucky to enjoy."

The news came after the Taleban launched a suicide car bomb that killed seven people yesterday outside the head-quarters of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in the capital, Kabul, five days before the presidential elections.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack but said it would not stop Afghans from voting.

"The enemies of Afghanistan try to create fear among people in this election period but people still realise the importance of going to ballot boxes to cast their votes," he said.