Danes killed by UK troops, report finds

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan in September died as a result of friendly fire from British forces, a Danish military report revealed on Tuesday.

The soldiers were killed by missile fire on September 26 on a small base camp in the Upper Gereshk Valley in southern Afghanistan, a Danish Defense Command spokesman said.

The Danish military announced days later that it suspected the deaths were from friendly fire.

The British commander in Afghanistan said it was important to find out what led to the deaths of Privates Mikkel Keil Sørensen and Thorbjørn Ole Reese.

In a Ministry of Defense statement, Brigadier Andrew Mackay offered his "deepest sympathies" to the families of the victims.

However, he said, the deaths would not affect the morale of the international NATO force fighting the Taliban in the country.

Denmark has around 600 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in the volatile Helmand province under British command.

"I am, of course, concerned that we establish exactly what happened on 26 September," MacKay added. "As the Danish report makes clear, the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident will be thoroughly investigated by the British Army and until that process is complete we will not be in a position to make further comment."

Meanwhile, Taliban fighters Tuesday ambushed a convoy carrying fuel bound for U.S. military bases in western Afghanistan, killing 15 Afghan employees of a U.S. security contractor, according to the governor of the Farah province, where the attack happened.

The fuel convoy, which included six to eight vehicles, was operated by U.S. Protection and Investigations (USPI), Gov. Mohaiyogin Baluch said.

Nine others were wounded, he said. Most of the trucks were burned, but one was taken by the Taliban, he said.

The ambush happened in the Bala Boluk district of the Farah province, he said.

USPI, a private security contractor, is based in Houston, Texas, according to the company's Web site.

The U.S.-led coalition Tuesday reported fighting throughout three war-torn southern Afghan provinces on Monday.

In Uruzgan province, "several" insurgents were killed in a day-long battle with an Afghan-led forces after an ambush by insurgents.

In Helmand province, troops killed "several" militants in coalition operations targeting the Taliban. In Kandahar province, Afghan and coalition forces killed insurgents who were trying to set up a roadside bomb. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Farhad Peikar in Kabul contributed to this report

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