British Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

LONDON (Reuters) -- A British soldier has died from gunshot wounds in Afghanistan, the Defense Ministry said, hours after Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged to send more troops to the country.

The soldier, serving with the 29th Commando Royal Artillery, was shot at a forward base in the Gereshk area of Helmand Province, a volatile region where the Taliban remains strong.

He received immediate medical treatment and was taken by helicopter to a military hospital at Kandahar but died of his wounds, a ministry spokesman said in a statement.

There have been more than 130 British fatalities since the conflict began in late 2001 when Britain joined the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Brown told Parliament on December 15 he had authorized an increase in the number of British troops deployed to the country to 8,300, with a large portion of those involved in training the Afghan National Army and Police.

The Taliban has mounted a resurgence in the past six months, detonating roadside bombs and carrying out ambushes.

Four British soldiers were killed in two separate incidents on December 12.