They died late Wednesday in an explosion during an operation against enemy forces north east of Gereshk in the volatile southern Helmand province, the British Ministry of Defence said.

"The tragic loss of these two brave servicemen is a bitter blow to Task Force Helmand," added military spokeswoman Paula Rowe in a statement issued by the MoD in London.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had said earlier that two servicemen were killed in a "hostile incident."

"We will continue to fight for the cause for which they made the ultimate sacrifice," added ISAF spokesman Brigadier General Richard Blanchette.

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.

The separate US-led coalition is estimated to have nearly 15,000 soldiers, although it has not made the number clear.

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 here and in Iraq.

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

Nearly 30,000 more US soldiers are due to be deployed to the country this year under president-elect Barack Obama after an upswing in insurgent violence in 2008.

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