Prime Minister Gordon Brown affirmed Britain's commitment to Afghanistan today, on a weekend in which roadside bombs killed five more soldiers, pushing the U.K. death toll past 200, according to AP. The grim milestone has reignited debate about the heavy human cost of a conflict the government claims is vital to defeating terrorism but that critics say is unwinnable. The Ministry of Defense said three soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers died after they were attacked while on patrol Sunday near Sangin in Helmand Province. They brought Britain's death toll in the country to 204. Two other British soldiers died Saturday. Brown said it had been «a very difficult summer,» but insisted the troops' presence in Afghanistan was keeping Britain safe. Thirteen British troops have been killed so far in August, and 22 died in July, Britain's bloodiest month since the invasion of Afghanistan soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
