"We have confirmed that an investigation is under way into a suspected friendly fire incident," said an MoD spokesman, after the deaths late Wednesday in the volatile southern Helmand province.

Announcing the deaths Thursday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said the two servicemen were killed in a "hostile incident."

The MoD said they died in an explosion during an operation against enemy forces northeast of Gereshk. They were named Friday as Captain Tom Sawyer, 26, of the Royal Artillery, and Corporal Danny Winter, 28, of the Royal Marines.

There are just over 50,000 soldiers from nearly 40 nations in ISAF helping Kabul to fight an insurgency led by the Taliban, who were in power between 1996 and 2001.

There are Australian, British, Canadian, Dutch and US troops stationed in southern Afghanistan.

A dozen international soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year, most of them in attacks by insurgents, according to the icasualties.org website which tracks deaths suffered by foreign forces there and in Iraq.

More than 295 international soldiers were killed in Afghanistan last year and just over 230 the previous year.

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