High casualty figures of the British soldiers not only has rung alarm bells on the streets of London, they also forced higher officials to justify the Britain's role in Afghanistan.

Eight British soldiers, including a high level commander, were killed in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province over the past one week, raising their casualty figure to 15 in some two weeks.

With these fresh killings, the number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan rose higher than the number of those killed in Iraq.

While in Iraq, 179 British solders have been killed since 2003, the number of such killed British soldiers in Afghanistan has risen to 184 since 2001.

The fresh killings also include that of a high ranking commander, Lt. Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who is the most senior British military officer killed ever since the Falkland War in 1982.

"The last 10 days have been extraordinarily difficult," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a letter to Alan Williams, the Parliament Liaison Committee chairman, on Monday.

Similarly, in a statement in the parliament, Brown said: "Despite dangerous battles ahead, the (British) strategy is right. This is a fight to clear terrorist networks in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to tackle heroin trade, which funds terrorism and insurgency."

Similarly, in an interview with the BBC, the British foreign secretary, David Miliband said: "It had been grievous few days for British military personnel and their families."

"We know they are engaged in a very, very difficult mission and we have a responsibility to engage the country in understanding that messages supporting it," he added.

Over 8,000 British soldiers are engaged in an operation, codenamed Panther's Claw, around Gereshk district and adjoining areas of Helmand province to ensure increased security ahead of the Afghan Presidential and Provincial Councils elections next month.

Besides, 4,000 U.S. Marines and 650 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers are also busy in their own mopping up operations in the same province.

Helmand, the main opium producing province of Afghanistan, along with Kandahar, Zabul, and Uruzgan provinces, has all along remained the hotbed of Taliban insurgents.

"There is some really hard fighting taking place. We are taking the Taliban on in a real heartland area. They are standing and fighting," British Defense Secretary Bob Answorth told Sky News on Tuesday.

British and international media also showed British people, criticizing their government's policy on Afghanistan and demanding a review of this policy.

For its part, the London administration had to defend its involvement in Afghanistan. "If we were to allow the Taliban to go back in power in Afghanistan and al-Qaida to have its freedom, then we would be less safe as a country," Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the parliament.

He further said: "There is a line of terror, what you might call a chain of terror that links what is happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan to the streets of Britain."

Sensing the alarm caused to the British people, U.S. President Barack Obama also had to step in to reassure his British allies.

In an interview with Sky News, Obama said: "The likelihood of a terrorist attack in UK is possible even higher than in the United States."

"We knew this summer was going to have tough fighting that (because) there was an interesting Taliban, exerting control. I think they have been pushed back but we still have a long way to go," Obama said.

"We cannot allow Afghanistan and Pakistan to be safe havens for al-Qaida."

Acknowledging that Britain had played an extraordinary role in the international coalition, the U.S. president said: "I think we need to start directing our attention to how do we create an Afghan police, an Afghan army so that they are the ones who are really at the forefront of controlling their own country."

While the strong public criticism and media hype did unnerve the British government to some extent, its officials have expressed their resolve to carry ahead the mission in Afghanistan.

However, they have promised steps to ensure gains in the war against Taliban insurgents while minimizing risks for the British soldiers.

Prime Minister Brown announced on last Tuesday to provide more and better equipment for the British forces over the next few days.

Earlier, the British Prime Minister had told reporters on the sideline of the Group of Eight summit in Italy that Merlin helicopters will be deployed later this year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2009)