London - A British soldier has died in a roadside explosion in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, raising to 118 the number of British servicemen killed in Afghanistan since 2001.

The Ministry of Defence in London said Thursday that the soldier, from the Royal Logistics Corps, was on routine patrol in the town of Musa Qala.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking at a press conference in London Thursday, said Britain's involvement in Afghanistan was crucial in helping to ensure that terrorist threats were "not exported back to our streets." (dpa)