Two British servicemen have been shot dead by gunmen purporting to be members of the Afghan police.
An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesman said the attack was conducted by two people wearing Afghan Police uniforms. Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A Royal Air Force airman and a soldier from 1st Battalion Welsh Guards were killed yesterday in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province.
They were providing security for a meeting with local officials at a patrol base, the MoD said. Next of kin have been informed.
The incident take the number of deaths of British servicemen and women in Afghanistan since 2001 to 414.
An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesman said the attack was conducted by two people wearing Afghan Police uniforms.
One is on the run and the other was killed when forces returned fire, the spokesman said.
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Fareed Ahmad, a spokesman for the Helmand provincial police, said the policemen opened fire at 3pm at a joint Afghan-coalition compound, killing two coalition troops.
He said a third Afghan policemen fired at the attackers, killing one and wounding the other, who escaped.
According to Mr Ahmad, the gunmen had been members of the Afghan National Police for a year and were from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan.
However, Nato said its investigation indicated that the assailants were insurgents dressed in police uniforms, not official members of the police force.
Major Ian Lawrence, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Sadly, it is my duty to confirm that a soldier serving with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and an airman from The Royal Air Force have been shot and killed in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province.
"The thoughts and condolences of everyone serving in the Task Force are with their families and friends."
Eighteen Nato service personnel have ben killed in Afghanistan this month.
The incident is the latest in a string of "green on blue" attacks in which members of the Afghan security forces have appeared to have opened fire on international allies.
In March, Sergeant Luke Taylor, of the Royal Marines, and Lance Corporal Michael Foley, of the Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Support) were shot dead by an Afghan soldier at the entrance to the UK headquarters in Helmand province.
Five British soldiers were killed by a rogue Afghan policeman in November 2009. The gunman opened fire on the men in a military compound in Nad e-Ali before fleeing. The Taliban later claimed responsibility.
The victims were Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, from Walthamstow, London, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, from Grimsby, and Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, also from Grimsby, all members of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards. Royal Military Policemen Corporal Steven Boote, 22, from Birkenhead, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, from Brackley, Northamptonshire, were also killed.
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