British fatalities from the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan reached 300 yesterday with the deaths of two Royal Marines blown up by a roadside device in southern Helmand.

The Marines were killed despite travelling in one of the latest heavy-armoured vehicles sent out by the Ministry of Defence to provide extra protection for the troops in Afghanistan. Their deaths brought to 124 the number of Service personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001.

There have been 176 deaths in Iraq since 2003 but these include noncombat deaths.

The explosive device, believed to have been a bomb or landmine, struck the Marines’ Jackal vehicle, which was designed to be mine-resistant. A spokesman for the MoD said the latest incident showed that whatever level of extra protection was provided, there was still no guarantee of survival. The £600,000 Jackal is an open-top vehicle but better-armoured than the much criticised Snatch Land Rovers.

The Marines were from the UK Landing Force Command Support Group patrolling with soldiers from the Afghan security forces in the Garmsir district in southern Helmand. Next of kin have been informed.

Garmsir, which used to be a Taleban stronghold, was seized back by US Marines in April but the deployment of Jackals underlined the continuing threat posed by roadside bombs and mines. The two Marines are the first servicemen killed in one of the new Jackals.

Marines from 3 Commando Brigade recently took over responsibility for security in Helmand from 16 Air Assault Brigade. The two killed on Wednesday in Garmsir were the first Marines to die since the change of command, although a Gurkha soldier serving with the brigade, Rifleman Yubraj Rai of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, was killed on November 4.

John Hutton, the Defence Secretary, told the Commons Defence Committee on Wednesday that he would consider holding an inquiry into the use in Iraq and Afghanistan of the Snatch Land Rover, in which 36 Armed Forces personnel have been killed by roadside bombs or mines.

Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said of the 300 deaths: “This grim milestone is a reminder of the enormous sacrifices made by our brave men and women.”

The father of an airman killed in Afghanistan said yesterday that the conflict was unwinnable. Graham Knight, 56, from Bridgwater, Somerset, and father of Sergeant Ben Knight, one of 14 killed when an RAF Nimrod surveillance aircraft blew up in 2006, said: “It is just so sad that so many lives are being lost in a conflict that seems to have lost its way.

The head of the Army has made it clear that he is opposed to any move to transfer troops withdrawn from Iraq next year to Afghanistan. General Sir Richard Dannatt, who is retiring as Chief of the General Staff next August, said: “No more British troops should go to Afghanistan.” He told The Daily Telegraph that the Armed Forces were structured to deal only with one war at a time.

Sir Richard gave warning that the Government must not take the cheap option when equipping the Forces. He said that ministers had the “absolute responsibility” to provide the best training and equipment.

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