Alexander visits Helmand province

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander is visiting British troops in southern Afghanistan.

He is also expected to tour a hospital in the capital of Helmand Province, Lashkar Gar, and is due to meet leaders of the city's provincial council.

Mr Alexander's visit comes at the end of one of the deadliest months for British troops since the 2001 invasion. Thirteen service personnel were killed in June, the most recent on Saturday in Lashkar Gar.

The soldier, of B Company 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, stepped on a mine while on patrol. The death brings the total number of British troops killed since 2001 to 110.

'Desperately poor'

Mr Alexander's visit is part of an ongoing effort to promote development in Afghanistan.

Britain is spending more than £120m this year on development aid to the country, but the security situation has seriously hampered progress.

The development secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Afghanistan was a "noble cause" and "very real progress" was being made.

He said there were now six million children in school in the country, including two million girls, compared to 2001 when just 200,000 boys were enrolled and girls were banned from receiving an education altogether.

But Mr Alexander said Afghanistan was still a "desperately poor country" and its development would be a "long-term challenge".

He said: "That's why it's so critical that alongside the military effort that's being expended there is also real effort being put in to build the capacity of the Afghan government to deliver the kind of services that people want to see - whether education, whether health or more basically law and order.

"So there has to be a seamless match between the military effort and the civilian effort."