TWO Duke of Lancaster soldiers are being held in military custody, charged with the attempted murder of a comrade.

The two men, who serve with the Second Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, are alleged to have attacked a Fijian-born fellow soldier while the unit was on a tour of duty in Cyprus.

The alleged victim was badly injured and taken to hospital after the incident, but is now expected to make a full recovery, according to the army.

A spokesman for the regiment confirmed that the two men had been charged, and were now being held in the military jail in Colchester, Essex, but could not confirm their ages, ranks, or where they were from.

The batallion served in Iraq last year, but is now stationed in Episkopi, Cyprus.