Blunt and Jenkins' Afghanistan show cancelled

Singers James Blunt and Katherine Jenkins have been forced to return to the UK after technical problems blighted their trip to Afghanistan.

The You're Beautiful hitmaker and the opera singer boarded a plane for the Middle East earlier this week ahead of a planned concert for military troops at Camp Bastion.

Their pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Cyprus on Thursday following an air leak onboard the plane, and after spending the night at Royal Air Force (RAF) base Akrotiri, they made a second attempt to fly out on Friday.

However, that plane suffered also suffered technical problems and they made a second emergency landing in Cyprus.

The gig in Afghanistan has now been called off and the stars have flown back to Britain.

Blunt writes in a series of posts on Twitter.com, "That didn't go well. There was a problem with the undercarriage of the Tristar (plane) after take-off... We circled, dumping our fuel over the Mediterranean and have returned, once again, to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus... Everyone here's given it there (sic) all - but the planes are just too old."

Jenkins adds, "Sadly we tried again (to get to Afghanistan) but it's not going to happen. So sorry not to make it out to you but we really really tried!... After 2 nights at RAF Akrotiri & 2 planes with technical probs (sic), now heading home feeling gutted we didn't make it 2 Afghan (sic). Stay safe every1 (sic)!"