British soldiers killed in attacks

11.01, Mon Sep 4 2006

Three British soldiers have died in attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two troops were killed and another was seriously injured in a roadside bombing near the town of Ad Dayr, north of Basra city in Iraq.

In Afghanistan, a soldier died when a four-wheel drive vehicle was driven at the convoy in the capital, Kabul, at around 10.30am local time. At least four civilians were killed.

The incident follows the death of 14 British troops when an RAF Nimrod plane crashed near Kandahar on Saturday.

Elsewhere, a Nato soldier was killed by friendly fire and several were wounded during a major offensive to crush a resurgent Taleban in Kandahar province.

The troops were hit by two of their own warplanes after calling in air support during a battle. Over the weekend, four Canadian troops were killed during fighting.

On Saturday, Nato launched Operation Medusa, its biggest thrust against the Taleban since taking over in southern Afghanistan on July 31 in the largest ground operation in its history.

More than 2,000 people, most of them militants, along with scores of civilians and aid workers and hundreds of Afghan security personnel, have been killed so far this year. More than 115 foreign troops have died.