THE British military death toll in Afghanistan and Iraq hit 300 when two Royal Marines were killed in an explosion in Helmand province.
The deaths bring the total killed in Afghanistan to 124, while 176 have died on active service in Iraq since operations began.
The marines, from UK Landing Force Command Support Group, were taking part in a joint patrol with soldiers from Afghan s
ecurity forces when their vehicle was struck by an explosive device in the Garmsir district of Southern Helmand yesterday.
Next of kin have been informed and asked for a 24-hour period of grace before more information is released, the Ministry of Defence said.
Commander Paula Rowe, of Task Force Helmand, said: "This is a tragic blow to us all in the task force, but our loss is nothing compared to that of their families and loved ones.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this terrible time."
The pair were operating as part of Task Force Helmand's Information Exploitation Group, which is responsible for gathering information to improve situational awareness and to gain an advantage over enemy forces.
The incident happened at 4.47pm local time yesterday.
The marines were on a routine patrol and the cause of the explosion is not yet known.
Brigadier General Richard Blanchette of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to their family, friends and fellow soldiers.
"Their lives are irreplaceable to all of us who fight for the peace and stability of Afghanistan."
A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Clearly the deaths of two Royal Marines are a tragedy.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of those two Royal Marines."
The Prime Minister thought it was especially important to remember the "contribution" of the armed forces to Britain's security at this time of year, the spokesman added.
News of the latest deaths came as Mr Brown held talks with Afghan president Hamid Karzai in Downing Street.
Kabul's calls for more international troops, to fight Taliban militants and help train Afghan's home-grown army, were expected to be high on the agenda.
US president-elect Barack Obama is planning to send two more combat brigades to Afghanistan and is expected to call on other Nato allies to beef up their own deployments when he takes office in January.
But Foreign Secretary David Miliband indicated last weekend that the UK, which already has 8,100 troops in Helmand province, would expect other Nato countries to take up a bigger share of the burden in any US-led "surge".
A survey published by ICM Research yesterday showed more than two-thirds of the population believe UK troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan in the next year.
The poll was commissioned by BBC4 ahead of the debate In Afghanistan: Should We Bring Home The Troops?, which will be broadcast at 8pm tonight.
But the MoD's most recently commissioned Mori poll showed more than 50% of the public supported the UK armed forces' presence in Afghanistan.
An MoD spokesman said: "The UK is committed to maintaining troops in Afghanistan until the government of Afghanistan (GoA) has built sufficient capacity to maintain a stable security situation and the rule of law."
But he added: "We need to do more to explain to the UK public why it's so important that the UK continues to support the GoA and the international presence in Afghanistan."
The full article contains 587 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
