Reports that British forces in Afghanistan had suffered their first suicide car bomb attack were today denied by the Ministry of Defence.

Abdul Rahman Saber, the provincial police chief, said that the attacker blew himself up outside a coalition base in Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital.

"At least one British military vehicle could be seen damaged," he said, adding that first reports said at least two British troops may have been hurt in the attack.

It later emerged, however, that the convoy which came under attack was American. The US military issued a statement saying that two US service members and one US civilian contractor had been slightly wounded. The attacker died.

The coalition base in Lashkar Gah is home both to US troops and to about 150 British soldiers who are preparing for the arrival of the main force of more than 3,000 in the coming weeks.

The province has seen regular attacks against coalition soldiers who have been in Afghanistan since late 2001 to fight insurgents loyal to the Taleban regime ousted in a US-led attack.

The province is the main producer of Afghanistan’s crop of illegal opium, which makes up around 90 per cent of the world’s supply. Experts have said the Taleban are tied up in the drugs trade, which many believe is funding the insurgency.

A Parliamentary committee warned in a report yesterday that the forces would face a deteriorating security situation when they deploy in Helmand in June, especially if the Nato-led mission in the south decides to wage a full-on offensive against the drug barons.

The Commons Defence Committee fears that a British-led operation to combat the region’s powerful opium smugglers could lead to a deterioration in security in Helmand province, which British troops are hoping to stabilise.

The Ministry of Defence in London said this morning: "There were no British soldiers involved. It was an American convoy. There were no British soldiers anywhere present."

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