LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to the country’s troops fighting in Afghanistan in her annual Christmas speech broadcast today, praising their work while expressing her sadness at the casualties.

The queen’s message came at the end of a year that saw more than 100 British soldiers slain in the troubled Central Asian country.

2009 has been the bloodiest year for the British military since the war started nine years ago, and public support for the US-led campaign has waned as the death toll mounts in the fight against Taliban militants.

“I am sure that we have all been affected by events in Afghanistan and saddened by the casualties suffered by our forces serving there,” the queen said in an address prerecorded in Buckingham Palace’s White Drawing Room.

The 83-year-old monarch offered her sympathy to bereaved families and praised the effort of Commonwealth soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. Aside from Britain, Commonwealth members Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore also have troops serving there.

“The debt of gratitude owed to these young men and women, and to their predecessors, is indeed profound,” she said. “But, we can be proud of the positive contribution that our servicemen and women are making, in conjunction with our allies.” More than 240 British soldiers have been killed since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has insisted that the war is crucial to Britain’s national security, and he has pledged to boost troop numbers to about 10,000.

The annual broadcast is one of the only times the queen - Britain’s oldest reigning monarch - publicly voices her own opinion without government consultation. Her first televised broadcast was in 1957. A large part of her message was dedicated to highlighting the importance of the Commonwealth - an institution that celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The queen said the family of nations “remains a strong and practical force for good.”