02/07/2009

Two UK Troops Die In Afghan Blast

A further two British soldiers have been killed in southern Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed they died in an explosion in Helmand province.

Another six members of Nato forces were also wounded in the attack on Wednesday involving an improvised explosive device (IED).

The two victims were a soldier of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and one from 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lt Col Nick Richardson, said there was a deep sense of loss as a result of the soldiers' deaths.

He said: "We grieve for them at this very sad time. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and colleagues who feel the greatest loss."

The MoD said the soldiers' next-of-kin had been informed and had asked for a 24-hour period of grace before further details were released.

News of the British fatalities came as American forces launched a massive pre-dawn operation in Taliban-controlled areas of Helmand.

Nearly 4,000 US Marines and 650 Afghan troops are involved in the offensive.

The deaths take the total number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171.

(JM/BMcC)

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