Two British soldiers have been killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan on Saturday.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that a soldier from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment and a soldier from The Light Dragoons had been killed during operations in Helmand province.
The first serviceman was killed after suffering injuries in an attack with rocket-propelled grenades while the other died in a contact explosion, according to the MoD
Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson said: "The loss of a these soldiers, and colleagues, has come as a huge blow to us all.
"But it is the family, friends and loved ones, as well as the men and women who served alongside them, who feel the greatest pain and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers and take consolation from the fact that their deaths are not in vain."
The soldiers' next of kin have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before details of the identity of the soldiers are released.
The deaths in Helmand province bring the total number of UK personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 173.
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