Four British troops killed in Afghanistan
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Four British Royal Marines have been killed in two separate explosions in southern Afghanistan, the MoD has said, reports BBC.
A Royal Marine from 45 Commando was injured in an explosion in the Sangin area of Helmand province and died on the way to hospital at Camp Bastion.
Two marines from 45 Commando and one from Commando Logistics Regiment died in a second blast south of Sangin.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the four men had given their lives "in the front line against terrorism".
Next of kin have been informed of the deaths, which take the total of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 132.
The first of the latest fatalities happened while a marine was on patrol in a Jackal armoured vehicle.
BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said the Jackal was one of a number of new armoured vehicles intended to offer British forces better protection than the controversial Snatch Landrover.
The other three died in an explosion during a routine operation against enemy forces in the area.
The blast happened as an Afghan boy pushing a wheelbarrow approached a company of British marines. It is not clear whether the boy was a suicide bomber or the device was remotely detonated.
Of those killed, one died instantly, a second died of wounds before they could be moved for hospital treatment and the third died after being taken to Camp Bastion.
Three of the four dead were from 45 Commando, based in Arbroath and currently on a six-month deployment to Afghanistan.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul said British troops were increasingly being targeted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and that there were no signs of the Taleban-led insurgency abating.
Mr Brown described the four latest deaths in Afghanistan as "a tragic loss".
"Fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan puts our armed forces in the front line against terrorism. I know that the whole country is immensely proud of all those who served in our armed forces and of what they do to protect each and every one of us."
Military spokeswoman Commander Paula Rowe said the deaths made for an "incredibly sad day for Task Force Helmand".
"The tragic deaths of these Royal Marines have come as a huge blow to us all," she said.
"Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things to go through. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to their families, friends and comrades at this terrible time."
A Royal Marine from 45 Commando was injured in an explosion in the Sangin area of Helmand province and died on the way to hospital at Camp Bastion.
Two marines from 45 Commando and one from Commando Logistics Regiment died in a second blast south of Sangin.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the four men had given their lives "in the front line against terrorism".
Next of kin have been informed of the deaths, which take the total of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 132.
The first of the latest fatalities happened while a marine was on patrol in a Jackal armoured vehicle.
BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said the Jackal was one of a number of new armoured vehicles intended to offer British forces better protection than the controversial Snatch Landrover.
The other three died in an explosion during a routine operation against enemy forces in the area.
The blast happened as an Afghan boy pushing a wheelbarrow approached a company of British marines. It is not clear whether the boy was a suicide bomber or the device was remotely detonated.
Of those killed, one died instantly, a second died of wounds before they could be moved for hospital treatment and the third died after being taken to Camp Bastion.
Three of the four dead were from 45 Commando, based in Arbroath and currently on a six-month deployment to Afghanistan.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul said British troops were increasingly being targeted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and that there were no signs of the Taleban-led insurgency abating.
Mr Brown described the four latest deaths in Afghanistan as "a tragic loss".
"Fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan puts our armed forces in the front line against terrorism. I know that the whole country is immensely proud of all those who served in our armed forces and of what they do to protect each and every one of us."
Military spokeswoman Commander Paula Rowe said the deaths made for an "incredibly sad day for Task Force Helmand".
"The tragic deaths of these Royal Marines have come as a huge blow to us all," she said.
"Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things to go through. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to their families, friends and comrades at this terrible time."