Official says British kill over 197 Afghan Taliban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Taliban fighters killed by British troops in Afghanistan in recent weeks far surpasses British military losses that have sparked a political uproar in Britain, a top British military official said on Monday.

Air Chief Marshall Jock Stirrup, Britain's chief of defense staff, said British forces have positively identified 197 insurgents killed since the British-led operation known as "Operation Panther's Claw" began in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province on July 3.

"The real number is probably more like double that," he told reporters during a visit to Washington.

He spoke as the British government faced angry questions in parliament over a shortage of vital military equipment and 15 British military deaths in Afghanistan in the past two weeks.

Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, the second largest contingent after the United States.

U.S. and British troops have launched an operation across southern Afghanistan to try to recapture territory from militants and improve security ahead of the presidential election next month.

Both British and U.S. troops have suffered heavy losses in the offensive, largely because the Taliban are using powerful roadside bombs to deadly effect.

Stirrup sought to play down the size of British losses, which included eight soldiers killed in a 24-hour period.

"These casualties are pretty one-sided. Sad though our losses are, they are very small compared to the losses that the enemy is taking," he said.

Stirrup warned the casualties will likely mount as British forces engage in "tough fighting" intended to bring security to 80,000 to 100,000 Afghan civilians as Afghanistan heads toward the August 20 election.

"When we mount operations like this, we're going to take casualties. There can be no question about that. And, frankly, there is no way of avoiding them," he said.

Stirrup said Britain faces a challenge convincing its public that the Afghanistan mission is succeeding because success depends less on military operations than on extending Afghan governance.

"We have not developed the appropriate metrics," he said.

"This is a difficult issue because it's about governance. It's not about military activity," Stirrup added, saying the mission would need "to show progress month-by-month, year-by-year, in the context of a very long endeavor."

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Mohammad Zargham)