British soldier on patrol killed in Afghanistan

KABUL — Britain's Ministry of Defense says one of its soldiers has been killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier died Saturday during a foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand. The death raises the number of international troops slain in August to 20.

Thousands of additional British forces and U.S. Marines have been deployed to southern Afghanistan — the Taliban's heartland — in an attempt to shake militant control and enable Aug. 20 presidential elections to take place.

According to military reports attacks killed at least 75 troops from the U.S. and other international military forces in July, the highest death toll for a single month since 2001.