British surgeons operating in the army's main field hospital in Afghanistan have become so exhausted during the conflict's bloodiest month that they have had to call in an American surgical team to help them cope with the surge in casualties.

As the Ministry of Defence released figures showing that the number of British soldiers wounded in southern Afghanistan was at the highest since the conflict began, senior military medics today suggested surgeons at the Camp Bastion hospital were operating at a frantic pace.

For years, fans looked on as Michael Jackson radically transformed his appearance. But despite his obviously altered look, the singer only ever admitted to two nose jobs – and blamed his progressively paler skin on the condition vitiligo.

In fact, says a Los Angeles surgeon who shared a practice with one of Jackson's surgeons, the King of Pop – who died of cardiac arrest June 25 – was a frequent customer.