40 Commando Royal Marines are based at Norton Manor Camp near Taunton Credit: Barry Batchelor/PA Wire
A Royal Marine and a woman soldier have died from injuries received while on patrol in Afghanistan.
The Royal Marine, from 40 Commando who are based at Norton Manor Camp near Taunton, and the soldier, from 3 Medical Regiment, were on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province when they were killed on Tuesday.
Their families have been informed.
The soldier is said to be a 25-year-old woman from Northern Ireland.
The pair are thought to have been killed by insurgents, although a source has said it understood the Taliban had issued a statement in Afghanistan suggesting the incident was a 'green on blue attack' - where coalition troops are killed by their Afghan allies.
Their deaths take the total number of UK service members to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001 to 435.
The arrested Marines are part of 3 Brigade in Plymouth Credit: ITV Westcountry
Five Royal Marines based in Plymouth remain in custody accused of murder. The servicemen from 3 Brigade were charged yesterday in connection with an incident last year in Afghanistan. The Director of Service Prosecutions will decide whether they should face a court martial.
Five Royal Marines have been charged with murder in relation to an incident in Afghanistan in 2011, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today. Seven marines were arrested on Thursday. Royal Military Police (RMP) arrested two more on suspicion of murder.
Four have since been released without charge. The charges are linked to an incident when Plymouth-based Royal Marine 3 Commando Brigade was based in Helmand.
"The RMP has referred the cases of the remaining five Royal Marines to the independent Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA).
"Following direction from the SPA these marines have now been charged with murder and they remain in custody pending court proceedings."
