Two from Britain's Gurkha regiment killed

31 Oct 2012, 3:53 am   -   Source: AAP

Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan while serving under NATO command were from the Gurkha Rifles regiment.

The two NATO soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan on Tuesday by a man in Afghan police uniform were serving with the British Army's Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment, the Ministry of Defence in London says.

The two soldiers were shot at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, the ministry said.

"I am saddened to report the deaths of two soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles," said Task Force Helmand spokesman Major Laurence Roche.

"Our thoughts are with their families, friends and fellow Gurkhas at this time."

The two soldiers' families have been informed.

Some 3000 Nepalese soldiers serve alongside British officers in the Gurkha brigade. Gurhkas have played a valued role in the British army for nearly two centuries.

A ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether the dead soldiers were British or Nepalese.

The deaths brought to 437 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. Of these, at least 394 were killed as a result of hostile action.

The killings are the latest in a series of insider attacks that have seriously undermined trust between NATO forces and their Afghan allies in the fight against Taliban hardline Islamist insurgents.

The Taliban claimed the shooter was one of their fighters who had infiltrated the police.

It is the second deadly incident in a week for Britain in Nahr-e Saraj, also known as Greshk, after a British Royal Marine and a female army medic were killed while on patrol last Wednesday.

The Afghan conflict has seen a surge in so-called "green on blue" attacks this year, with more than 50 troops in the NATO-led force killed by their colleagues in the Afghan army and police.

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