04 December 2008 - 17H40

Two Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Two Danish soldiers serving with NATO's force in Afghanistan were killed Thursday in the southern part of the country, the Danish military said in a statement.

The soldiers were killed when clashes erupted with enemy forces while they were on patrol about eight kilometers (five miles) south of the town of Gereshk in the Helmand province, the statement said.

The patrol's vehicle hit a landmine around 9:00 am local time (0430 GMT), and then came under gunfire. The blast killed a Danish soldier, while a later explosion killed a second soldier.

On Wednesday, Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Defence Minister Soeren Gade toured the Gereshk district following a visit to Danish troops in Helmand.

The deaths bring to 18 the number of Danish troops killed in the country since Copenhagen deployed soldiers there as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in 2001 -- one of the highest per-capita death tolls among coalition forces.

Denmark currently has some 700 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are stationed in the Helmand province under British command.

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