July 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. said it will send 140 more soldiers to Afghanistan to help fight the Taliban in Helmand province, as the bodies of eight British troops who died in the conflict were flown home.

The additional unit will “reinforce the momentum generated by recent operations,” the Ministry of Defence in London said today in an e-mailed statement.

The troops, from B Company of the Second Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, will be deployed today and tomorrow from a base in Cyprus, the ministry said. They will join some 9,000 British soldiers taking part in Panther’s Claw, a U.K. offensive aimed at improving security in preparation for the Afghan presidential election next month.

The bodies of the eight soldiers, who died July 9 and 10, were taken to the Royal Air Force base at Lyneham in the southwestern English county of Wiltshire. A private ceremony was held at noon local time, with a procession through the nearby town of Wootten Bassett set to follow.

The deaths brought to 184 the total number of U.K. service personnel to have died in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001, according to a tally on the ministry’s Web site. That’s more than the 179 who were killed in six years of fighting in Iraq, where British operations have ended.

The loss of life renewed debate about the war effort, with the government facing criticism that its forces in Afghanistan are hampered by a shortage of equipment and resources.

To contact the reporter on this story: Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 14, 2009 07:37 EDT