Explosion kills two British soldiers in Afghanistan

LONDON, Sep 5 (Reuters) Two British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan today when an explosion hit their vehicle during a patrol in the southern province of Helmand, the Ministry of Defence said.

A third soldier and a civilian interpreter were also injured in the explosion, which happened at around 0915 local time, the ministry said in a statement. It said no further details were available.

Britain has around 7,000 troops in Afghanistan, where they are leading NATO forces in the increasingly volatile southern part of the country.

The ministry said today's deaths bring to 76 the number of British forces and Defence Ministry civilians killed in Afghanistan since the start of an international operation to overthrow the Taliban in 2001.

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