UK Afghanistan deaths 'incredibly unlucky'

The Ministry of Defence has said three soldiers from The Royal Highland Fusiliers, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, have been in Helmand.

Their next of kin have been informed.

The three soldiers were travelling on a routine patrol in a Mastiff vehicle - long-deemed one of the safest of all armoured vehicles - when it was struck by an improvised explosive device.

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt said the soldiers who died were "incredibly unlucky".

And Lt Col Lincoln Jopp MC, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told the Today programme's Justin Webb that "whilst you can do everything possible to mitigate the risks, you can't eradicate them totally - and nothing is indestructible."

"There real is an appetite and competence on the side of the Afghan security forces' to take the lead... which is what will be giving the British troops heart," he added.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday 1 May 2013.