2 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan blast

The British Ministry of Defense has announced that it has lost two soldiers as a result of a roadside bombing near Sangin in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

The two soldiers, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, part of the 3 Rifles Battle Group, were killed in an explosion near Sangin Sunday evening.

They were on foot patrol when they were killed by an improvised explosive device. The soldiers’ next of kin have been informed.

None of the soldiers were slated for Operation Moshtarak, the Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Hundreds of Afghan families are fleeing their homes in the Helmand city of Marja, after US and British forces announced plans for what they called an end game with the Taliban in the volatile southern province.

Approximately 15,000 British, American and Afghan troops will be involved in Operation Moshtarak, which takes its name from the word “together.”

The latest deaths brought to 255 the total number of British servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan since the late 2001 US-led military invasion.

A total of 59 NATO soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year. Roadside bombs have claimed about 90 percent of this year’s military fatalities.

Due to mounting casualties among NATO soldiers, public support is waning in the Western countries, particularly in Europe, according to opinion polls. NATO countries have recently endorsed a plan to increase the total size of Afghan forces to 300,000 by next year in a bid to draw down the number of their forces in the country.