Brown tries to buoy support for UK Afghan mission

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government tried to shore up public faith in the Afghan war effort on Sunday after the death of eight British soldiers in 24 hours sowed doubts over the mission.

The number of British troops killed in Afghanistan -- 184 -- now surpasses the British toll from the Iraq conflict.

However, an opinion poll conducted for the Guardian newspaper and the BBC showed support for the war remained firm.

The ICM survey put backing for British involvement at 46 percent, slightly behind opposition at 47 percent and up 15 points from the last time opinion was tested in 2006.

Brown said a major British and U.S. offensive against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was succeeding despite the heavy toll.

Taking his message direct to the troops, Brown told the British Forces Broadcasting Service: "I know that this has been a difficult summer so far and it is going to continue to be a difficult summer."

Asked if he was worried that the Helmand operation could become Britain's Vietnam, Brown said: "The operation ... is showing signs of success."

The operation is aimed at making Helmand safe for people to vote in August 20 presidential elections.

SHORTAGE OF HELICOPTERS

Conservative former Defense Secretary Tom King told the BBC on Sunday British forces suffered from a critical shortage of helicopters and had never had enough troops "to do the job."

The government denies such criticism. Finance minister Alistair Darling said on Saturday British troops in Afghanistan would get whatever equipment they needed.

Britain has 9,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, the second largest foreign contingent after the United States.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Sky News in an interview on Saturday "the contribution of the British is critical."

The British involvement in Afghanistan has been less controversial than its mission in Iraq, now largely over.

However, a ComRes poll for the BBC in March found 60 percent of Britons were unconvinced by the government's arguments for keeping British soldiers in Afghanistan.

Media coverage of soldiers being brought home in flag-draped coffins and grieving parents criticizing equipment deficiencies which they say put their sons' lives at risk has only increased doubts.

Warwick University politics professor Wyn Grant said support for the war could crumble if there was a continuing high death rate. "When you get a high level of casualties, people ask what the point of the engagement is," he said.

Opposition Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg broke a political consensus in support of the mission by writing in a newspaper last week: "Our soldiers' lives are being thrown away because our politicians won't get their acts together."

However, no party is campaigning for a troop pullout.

(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)