bobdina
07-22-2010, 11:19 AM
Two UK soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan rescue bid
British troops in Afghanistan The deaths take the total of British troops killed in Afghanistan to 324
Two British soldiers have been shot dead in Afghanistan while trying to rescue a wounded colleague.
A UK military spokesman said they died in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand on Wednesday evening performing a "courageous and selfless act".
One was from The Royal Dragoon Guards and the other from 1st Battalion Scots Guards. Their families have been told.
UK troops in Afghanistan
Lt Col James Carr-Smith, spokesman for the British military's Task Force Helmand, said: "The soldiers were part of a cordon operation providing security for a routine rotation of troops when they were killed by small arms fire.
"In the courageous and selfless act of attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded.
"They died helping their friends. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will remember them."
Analysis
Continue reading the main story
image of Ian Pannell, Ian Pannell, BBC News, Kabul
In the 18 months or so after the British deployed to southern Afghanistan in 2006, the majority of casualties were as a result of shootings.
But gradually that began to change as the insurgents turned to home-made bombs instead.
The military deplored the shift as cowardice and interpreted it as a sign that the Taliban were unable to engage the troops head-on.
But the latest two soldiers died after being shot by insurgents, and there has been a small but noticeable rise in similar small-arms attacks recently.
A rise in shootings could suggest increased confidence on their behalf. It is also a reflection of the intensity of the fight at the moment and the fact that the Taliban are now being engaged on an unprecedented scale.
It is also unusual that the latest deaths were in Lashkar Gah, an area considered relatively safe.
The bodies of four British servicemen killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan inside 24 hours will be repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire on Thursday.
Staff Sgt Brett Linley, 29, of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, and Sgt David Monkhouse, 35, of The Royal Dragoon Guards, both died on Saturday.
Senior Aircraftman Kinikki Griffiths, 20, of 1 Squadron RAF Regiment, and Marine Jonathan Crookes, 26, of 40 Commando Royal Marines, died the previous day.
'Mixed messages'
The latest deaths come after David Cameron defended the coalition government's statements over plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
The prime minister, his deputy Nick Clegg and Foreign Secretary William Hague have all said British forces would not remain in a combat role beyond 2015.
Mr Cameron has also said the pull-out would be "conditions-based".
In the Commons, shadow foreign secretary David Miliband accused the government of sending out "mixed messages".
Talking to the BBC, Mr Cameron said there was "absolutely no contradiction between the two things"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10721404
British troops in Afghanistan The deaths take the total of British troops killed in Afghanistan to 324
Two British soldiers have been shot dead in Afghanistan while trying to rescue a wounded colleague.
A UK military spokesman said they died in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand on Wednesday evening performing a "courageous and selfless act".
One was from The Royal Dragoon Guards and the other from 1st Battalion Scots Guards. Their families have been told.
UK troops in Afghanistan
Lt Col James Carr-Smith, spokesman for the British military's Task Force Helmand, said: "The soldiers were part of a cordon operation providing security for a routine rotation of troops when they were killed by small arms fire.
"In the courageous and selfless act of attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded.
"They died helping their friends. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will remember them."
Analysis
Continue reading the main story
image of Ian Pannell, Ian Pannell, BBC News, Kabul
In the 18 months or so after the British deployed to southern Afghanistan in 2006, the majority of casualties were as a result of shootings.
But gradually that began to change as the insurgents turned to home-made bombs instead.
The military deplored the shift as cowardice and interpreted it as a sign that the Taliban were unable to engage the troops head-on.
But the latest two soldiers died after being shot by insurgents, and there has been a small but noticeable rise in similar small-arms attacks recently.
A rise in shootings could suggest increased confidence on their behalf. It is also a reflection of the intensity of the fight at the moment and the fact that the Taliban are now being engaged on an unprecedented scale.
It is also unusual that the latest deaths were in Lashkar Gah, an area considered relatively safe.
The bodies of four British servicemen killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan inside 24 hours will be repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire on Thursday.
Staff Sgt Brett Linley, 29, of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, and Sgt David Monkhouse, 35, of The Royal Dragoon Guards, both died on Saturday.
Senior Aircraftman Kinikki Griffiths, 20, of 1 Squadron RAF Regiment, and Marine Jonathan Crookes, 26, of 40 Commando Royal Marines, died the previous day.
'Mixed messages'
The latest deaths come after David Cameron defended the coalition government's statements over plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
The prime minister, his deputy Nick Clegg and Foreign Secretary William Hague have all said British forces would not remain in a combat role beyond 2015.
Mr Cameron has also said the pull-out would be "conditions-based".
In the Commons, shadow foreign secretary David Miliband accused the government of sending out "mixed messages".
Talking to the BBC, Mr Cameron said there was "absolutely no contradiction between the two things"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10721404