She said Hamer and Coburn had made a dedicated team who worked together around the world "sacrificing personal comfort countless times to record the reality of wars".

　　The Ministry of Defence said Hamer and Coburn were accompanying a patrol north-west of the town of Nawa, when the vehicle in which they were travelling struck an improvised explosive device. "Despite the best efforts of medics at the scene, Mr Hamer died of his wounds. Mr Coburn remains in a serious but stable condition," a statement said.

　　"One US marine was also killed in the explosion. Five US marines were left seriously injured."

　　The defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, who knew Hamer, praised the bravery and professionalism of both journalists. "Both Rupert Hamer and Phil Coburn accompanied me on my most recent trip to Afghanistan," he said. "I got to know them well and I was impressed by their hard work and professionalism," he said. "My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of both men at this extremely distressing time."

　　"As a defence correspondent, Rupert Hamer was in regular contact with press officers at the MoD. I know they had great respect for his work and the news of his death has been met with great sadness amongst us all. In recent weeks we worked closely with Rupert on a special Christmas edition of the Sunday Mirror, containing messages for deployed personnel from their loved ones. The paper was very well received by troops on the ground and its success is testament both to Rupert's hard work and his understanding of service personnel.Hamer is the second journalist in two weeks to lose his life to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. On 30 December, Canadian journalist Michelle Lang, a reporter for the Calgary Herald was killed when travelling with Canadian soldiers in the southern province of Kandahar.In August a US journalist working for CBS, Cami McCormick, was injured when the armoured vehicle she was travelling in hit an IED. Earlier that same month Andi Jatmiko, a journalist working for AP, lost his foot after the military vehicle he was travelling in hit a roadside bomb. His ­colleague, photographer Emilio Morenatti, was also seriously injured.