Kabul - A British soldier was killed in a roadside explosion in southern Afghanistan, while suspected insurgents fired a rocket at a German military convoy in northern region, causing no casualties, officials said Sunday.

The British soldier was killed while on patrol in Gerishk district of southern Helmand province, the British Defence Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The latest death, which came three days after three members of Britain's elite Parachute Regiment were killed in a similar roadside attack in Helmand province, brought the total British death toll to 196. More than 8,000 British soldiers are stationed in Helmand.

Since the beginning of August, 19 foreign soldiers have been killed in the country, according to icasualties. org, a website that tracks casualties in the Afghan and Iraq conflicts, without counting the latest death.

Some 75 international soldiers were killed in July, which marked the deadliest month for foreign forces since their deployment to the country in late 2001.

Meanwhile, suspected Taliban insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a German military convoy in Ali Abad district of northern Kunduz province on Sunday morning, causing no casualties or damage, Baryalai Basaryar Parwani, district police chief said.

"The German forces were on their way from Kunduz city to Ali Abad, when the RPG round landed close to their tanks," he said, adding the police began a manhunt in the area to track down the attackers.

Northern Afghanistan, which was relatively peaceful until 2007, has seen an upsurge in Taliban assaults in the recent month. Around 4,000 German forces are stationed in the northern region that includes Kunduz.

Fighting and bombings have intensified across Afghanistan as it prepares for the second presidential election in its history on August 20. More than 100,000 international troops, about two-thirds of them from the United States, are stationed in Afghanistan.(dpa)