Eight British troops die in 24-hour period

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 11 (UPI) -- The British government was bracing Saturday for negative fallout after the military suffered one of its bloodiest days ever in Afghanistan, analysts say.

Eight British soldiers died within 24 hours Friday, including five in one incident after they were caught in a bomb blast while on foot patrol, making for 15 troop deaths in Afghanistan within 10 days, The Times of London reported.

The toll forced Prime Minister Gordon Brown to defend London's mission in Afghanistan as he left the Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila, Italy, warning of a "very hard summer" as he headed for a military briefing at the military's operational headquarters at Northwood, Middlesex, the newspaper said.

"Our resolution to complete the work we have started is undiminished," Brown asserted.

Some 184 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, 179 of them in Helmand province since 2006, The Guardian reported Saturday.

Helmand task force commander Brig. Tim Radford told the newspaper the recent deaths made British troops more determined to succeed, adding, "Morale is high and that's because, hour by hour and day by day, they can feel they are winning."