London (CNN) -- Two British passport holders were detained by British troops in Afghanistan during an International Security Assistance Force operation, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday.
The operation was "conducted jointly last week by UK forces with Afghans in support," the ministry said in a prepared statement. "The individuals, a male and a female, are currently being held in a secure facility in Kandahar for questioning.
"Detention operations are a vital element of protecting UK, ISAF and Afghan forces and Afghan civilians from those who are assessed to pose a threat regardless of their nationality," the ministry statement said. The detentions are conducted "in accordance with international law and strict policy frameworks."
The ministry said no further information "will be released at this stage."
Britain has about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, the second-largest international force currently deployed in the region after the United States.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that number will decrease to 500 troops by the end of 2012.
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