(AFP) – LONDON —

Two British servicemen were shot dead in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday as they went to the aid of a wounded comrade, the Ministry of Defence in London said.

The soldiers were killed by small arms fire as they formed a cordon to evacuate a casualty in a "courageous and selfless act," said a military spokesman in a statement.

The servicemen -- one from the The Royal Dragoon Guards, the other from 1st Battalion Scots Guards -- were part of a combined force in Lashkar Gar, Helmand province. Their next of kin have been informed.

"In the courageous and selfless act of attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith.

Their deaths bring the number of British servicemen killed in Afghanistan to 324 since the start of the military campaign there in 2001.

Britain has around 9,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of an international force fighting the Taliban.