London  - A British soldier wounded in Afghanistan died in a Birmingham hospital Saturday, taking the total number of British military fatalities since 2001 in Afghanistan to 200.

The soldier was wounded in an explosion Thursday in Helmand province.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the death was "deeply tragic."

"Today is a day of mourning, and also a day of reflection. I want to thank the entire armed forces and the families and communities which sustain them," the BBC quoted Brown as saying.

While British troops had made "good progress" in Afghanistan, news of the 200th death made it a "grim day," Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said.

Also on Thursday, three British soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

Fighting and bombings have intensified across Afghanistan as it prepares for the second presidential election in its history on Thursday. More than 100,000 international troops, about two-thirds of them from the United States, are stationed in Afghanistan. (dpa)