LONDON, November 8 (RIA Novosti) - A British soldier who died in an explosion in Afghanistan on Saturday has brought the number of U.K. service personnel killed in action in that country to 200, Sky News reported on Sunday.
The serviceman died following an explosion near Sangin, in southern Helmand province. The total number of U.K. losses in Afghanistan, including accidents and illnesses, now stands at 231, Sky News reported.
The news of the soldier's death came as a new poll commissioned by Sky News showed that the number of people in the U.K. opposed to the conflict in Afghanistan had increased sharply.
The survey found support for the war has fallen from 28% in August to just 21% now. In August, 57% said British troops should not be in Afghanistan. That figure has now risen to 63%, Sky News reported.
There are currently about 9,000 U.K. personnel in Afghanistan.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, however, told Sky News that British troops must stay in Afghanistan.
"The British public support has been dented by the level of losses we have received, but we cannot run a campaign like this off the back of an opinion poll - we have to show some resolution. This campaign is directly connected to our safety back here in the UK," he told Sky News.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan, with the radical Islamic Taliban group, toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led campaign, staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and troops.
