Two Britons killed in Afghan suicide bombing

Two Britons were among the 13 troops and civilian employees of the Nato-led force in Afghanistan killed by a suicide bombing in Kabul this weekend, the British embassy in Kabul said today.

Five International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) service members and eight Isaf civilian employees were killed when the bomber drove a car laden with explosives at a military transport vehicle on Saturday.

"We have learned that two British nationals were among the 13 killed in yesterday's attack," an embassy spokesperson said, giving no further details of their identities. "Our thoughts are with the families of all those who died."

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest single ground strike against the coalition in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

A Canadian military spokesman earlier said one of the dead was a Canadian soldier. The Pentagon had said all 13 of the Isaf fatalities were American, but after the Canadian death was reported, a Pentagon spokesman said Americans were among the dead, but authorities were checking the identities of those killed.

Violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the start of the war 10 years ago, according to the United Nations, despite the presence of more than 130,000 foreign troops.

Isaf says there has recently been a fall in attacks by insurgents, but that data exclude attacks that kill only civilians and attacks on Afghan security forces operating without international troops.