LONDON (AP) – Britain’s military says two of its soldiers have been killed by an explosion in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province.

The Ministry of Defense said Friday that a soldier from the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment and another from 2nd Battalion The Rifles died when their foot patrol was hit by a blast near the town of Sangin on Thursday.

The deaths bring the number of British service personnel killed in the country since the 2001 invasion to 206, including 15 this month.

The ministry said the soldiers’ families have been informed.

Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan. The government says it will not reduce the country’s commitment despite the rising death toll.