Millions of Britons have held a two-minute silence to remember the nation’s war dead.

Britain’s military commitment in Afghanistan is set to rise above the 10,000 mark, Gordon Brown announced tonight.

A joint British and Afghan investigation was under way today amid fears an air strike aimed at suspected insurgents may in fact have killed nine innocent civilians.

British troops in Afghanistan have carried out one of the biggest air operations of modern times, the Ministry of Defence said.