Post by Frenchie on Aug 21, 2009 11:15:13 GMT 1
Two More British soldiers have been killed in Helmand.
It is thought the attack took place in the Sangin District.
Update by Cammy:
Two British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The MoD said the soldiers, from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and 2nd Battalion the Rifles, were killed on a routine foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province yesterday morning. The MoD said the attack was not connected to the country's second presidential election, held yesterday.
Next of kin have been informed and the names of the soldiers are due to be released tomorrow. Their deaths bring to 206 the number of British troops killed in the country since the invasion.
One of the two had only been in Afghanistan for three weeks after being sent as part of reinforcements to boost numbers after a wave of casualties in July.
Defence chiefs sent 125 extra soldiers at the end of last month to maintain troop levels after a record number of injuries and deaths.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, is understood to be the first of the extra service personel to be killed.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, a spokesman for British forces in Helmand, expressed the military's sympathy for the families involved.
"It is with deep regret that we report the death of two soldiers in Helmand province. Our deepest heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the bereaved family, friends and comrades of these brave soldiers," he said.
The news comes as the bodies of four other British soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the weekend arrive back in the UK.
Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, died while on foot patrol near Sangin six days ago. His coffin was flown to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire along with those of Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, and Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 24. Annis and Carter died in a blast on Sunday while trying to rescue Fullarton, their injured commander.
After a private ceremony at the RAF base, hundreds of people are expected to attend a procession in Wootton Basset, the nearby town that has become synonymous with the procession of soldiers' coffins.
Carter was deployed in Afghanistan straight after completing his army training. The rescue attempt was commended by the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth. "These three brave soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the security of all of us in the United Kingdom. Their deaths are truly heart-rending and their families are in my thoughts; the loved ones they have lost are true heroes," he said.
Private Richard Hunt, 21, from Abergavenny, South Wales, died in a military hospital in Birmingham after sustaining injuries while on patrol near Musa Qala in Helmand province on 12 August.
The announcement of the most recent deaths came a day after landmark Afghan elections. The foreign secretary, David Miliband, has hailed the "enormous bravery" of the Afghan people who defied Taliban threats and voted.
There were a series of attacks but violence was not as intense as some had feared. Miliband said that he had been "braced for the worst" but "the worst did not happen".
It is thought the attack took place in the Sangin District.
Update by Cammy:
Two British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The MoD said the soldiers, from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and 2nd Battalion the Rifles, were killed on a routine foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province yesterday morning. The MoD said the attack was not connected to the country's second presidential election, held yesterday.
Next of kin have been informed and the names of the soldiers are due to be released tomorrow. Their deaths bring to 206 the number of British troops killed in the country since the invasion.
One of the two had only been in Afghanistan for three weeks after being sent as part of reinforcements to boost numbers after a wave of casualties in July.
Defence chiefs sent 125 extra soldiers at the end of last month to maintain troop levels after a record number of injuries and deaths.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, is understood to be the first of the extra service personel to be killed.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, a spokesman for British forces in Helmand, expressed the military's sympathy for the families involved.
"It is with deep regret that we report the death of two soldiers in Helmand province. Our deepest heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the bereaved family, friends and comrades of these brave soldiers," he said.
The news comes as the bodies of four other British soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the weekend arrive back in the UK.
Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, died while on foot patrol near Sangin six days ago. His coffin was flown to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire along with those of Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, and Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 24. Annis and Carter died in a blast on Sunday while trying to rescue Fullarton, their injured commander.
After a private ceremony at the RAF base, hundreds of people are expected to attend a procession in Wootton Basset, the nearby town that has become synonymous with the procession of soldiers' coffins.
Carter was deployed in Afghanistan straight after completing his army training. The rescue attempt was commended by the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth. "These three brave soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the security of all of us in the United Kingdom. Their deaths are truly heart-rending and their families are in my thoughts; the loved ones they have lost are true heroes," he said.
Private Richard Hunt, 21, from Abergavenny, South Wales, died in a military hospital in Birmingham after sustaining injuries while on patrol near Musa Qala in Helmand province on 12 August.
The announcement of the most recent deaths came a day after landmark Afghan elections. The foreign secretary, David Miliband, has hailed the "enormous bravery" of the Afghan people who defied Taliban threats and voted.
There were a series of attacks but violence was not as intense as some had feared. Miliband said that he had been "braced for the worst" but "the worst did not happen".