LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has led Britain’s annual ceremony for the country’s war dead, joining thousands of troops, veterans and civilians in a traditional two-minute silence.

Remembrance Sunday comes as Britain debates its role in Afghanistan and its death toll there rises. The Defense Ministry said Sunday a British soldier had been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan.

As Big Ben chimed 11 a.m., the silence began, broken by a single artillery blast and the sound of the Royal Marine buglers playing the “Last Post.”

The remembrance service is held every year on the nearest Sunday to the anniversary of the end of World War I at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 and now pays tribute to the dead in all conflicts.