LONDON, ENGLAND - Families of armed forces members killed in operations or as a result of terrorism will receive a new form of recognition, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday.

He said the Queen had approved the unspecified award and would make clear her "personal attachment" to it in an announcement later.

"I am confident that this will be a very special and fitting tribute indeed for the great debt we owe to all those who die on operations and the enduring loss shouldered by the families," he said

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was estimated that the recognition would apply to the families of around 8,000 armed forces members killed in operations since 1948.

In recent campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, some 276 British forces soldiers have been killed by hostile action. --REUTERS