A suicide car bomber rammed a British military convoy in southern Afghanistan on Friday and two soldiers were wounded, officials said.

A man driving a station wagon rigged to explode struck the convoy at about 10:30 a.m. in the Helmand provincial capital of Lashkar Gar, said the province's police chief, Gen. Abdul Rahman Saber.

British troops cordoned off the scene, near a British-run reconstruction team base in Lashkar Gah, Saber said.

In London, the Ministry of Defense said two soldiers were wounded but could not confirm a suicide attack.

Taliban militants have increased suicide attacks against coalition forces, particularly in southern Afghanistan, where NATO is expanding its presence. More than 3,000 British troops have moved into Helmand as part of that mission.

Helmand is Afghanistan's main opium poppy-growing region and fears of widespread violence have risen since an aggressive poppy eradication campaign started in recent weeks.

Rugged mountains in the province are popular hiding places for Taliban rebels, many of whom are believed to slip back and forth across the province's largely unguarded border with Pakistan.