Post by cammy on Jul 20, 2009 10:10:25 GMT 1
[glow=red,2,300]Seventeenth British soldier killed in Afghanistan this month [/glow]
A British soldier has been killed while on foot patrol in Afghanistan, the 17th to die this month, the Ministry of Defence said today .
The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died yesterday morning as a result of the blast in Sangin, in northern Helmand province.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with extreme sadness that I must report the death of a brave soldier. He laid down his life for his country and the good people of Afghanistan.
"We grieve for his loss and join with his family and friends to mourn his passing."
The Ministry of Defence said next of kin had been informed.
The soldier was killed as the row over troops, equipment and helicopters deployed in the country intensified with former defence secretary John Hutton saying the army needed more logistical support.
Also yesterday, David Cameron for the Tories and Lord Mandelson for the government once more crossed swords on the issue.
The latest death, the 186th among British forces since operations began in Afghanistan came in what is proving to be a particularly grim month for British forces, with five of those killed being only 18 and another casualty, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, becoming the most senior officer to be killed in action since the Falklands conflict.
Sangin, the scene of the latest fatality, is where five soldiers were killed and a number injured ten days ago by a massive blast. They, too, were on foot patrol.
Just days before Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, told a London audience that Sangin town was a now relatively peaceful with a thriving market.
Last week General Sir Richard Dannatt, head of the army, said electronic counter measures and anti-explosives experts were a priority, along with more helicopters, for British troops in southern Afghanistan.
The rising toll has also seen thousands of people pack the streets of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire to pay tribute as the bodies of dead troops are brought back to Britain through the nearby RAF base at Lyneham, and appeals to the media from local council leaders for less "intrusive" coverage of such events.
A British soldier has been killed while on foot patrol in Afghanistan, the 17th to die this month, the Ministry of Defence said today .
The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died yesterday morning as a result of the blast in Sangin, in northern Helmand province.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with extreme sadness that I must report the death of a brave soldier. He laid down his life for his country and the good people of Afghanistan.
"We grieve for his loss and join with his family and friends to mourn his passing."
The Ministry of Defence said next of kin had been informed.
The soldier was killed as the row over troops, equipment and helicopters deployed in the country intensified with former defence secretary John Hutton saying the army needed more logistical support.
Also yesterday, David Cameron for the Tories and Lord Mandelson for the government once more crossed swords on the issue.
The latest death, the 186th among British forces since operations began in Afghanistan came in what is proving to be a particularly grim month for British forces, with five of those killed being only 18 and another casualty, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, becoming the most senior officer to be killed in action since the Falklands conflict.
Sangin, the scene of the latest fatality, is where five soldiers were killed and a number injured ten days ago by a massive blast. They, too, were on foot patrol.
Just days before Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, told a London audience that Sangin town was a now relatively peaceful with a thriving market.
Last week General Sir Richard Dannatt, head of the army, said electronic counter measures and anti-explosives experts were a priority, along with more helicopters, for British troops in southern Afghanistan.
The rising toll has also seen thousands of people pack the streets of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire to pay tribute as the bodies of dead troops are brought back to Britain through the nearby RAF base at Lyneham, and appeals to the media from local council leaders for less "intrusive" coverage of such events.