As troop dies, UK mortality in Afghanistan hits 221

The British death toll in Afghanistan surpasses 220 as another soldier dies in the conflict-torn country's southern province of Helmand.

The UK's Ministry of Defense said on Friday that the British troop died in an explosion on Thursday near Camp Bastion, where the largest part of the 9,000-strong British contingent is based.

The death brings to 221 the number of the British troopers, who have lost their lives in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001.

The news came as pressure mounts on the Whitehall to improve the reportedly poor logistics on the ground.

Many of the deaths, the opposition and British public say, have been caused due to lack of sufficient equipment.

Results from a recent opinion survey, published by the BBC, served as a wake-up call for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, when it revealed that 56 percent of the public were opposed to the Britain's armed involvement in Afghanistan.