Post by cammy on Nov 4, 2009 10:13:56 GMT 1
Five British soldiers killed in single attack by 'rogue' Afghan policeman
making this year the single bloodiest for the UK armed forces since the Falklands War.
The policeman turned on the soldiers - three from the Grenadier Guards and two from the Royal Military Police - and started firing inside a military compound yesterday afternoon.
The attack took place in the Nad-e'Ali district of Helmand Province. The soldiers' families have been informed.
Five British soldiers have been killed by a rogue Afghan policeman in Helmand province. The casualties were taken to the hospital at Camp Bastion, where the troops above were training yesterday
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield said: 'The soldiers concerned were mentoring Afghan police. They were working inside and living inside an Afghan national police checkpoint.
'It would appear, and it is our initial understanding, that an individual Afghan policeman possibly acting with another started firing within the checkpoint before fleeing the scene.'
He stressed that the attack did not come as a result of any breakdown or fight between British and Afghan forces.
The group of at least 10 soldiers went to a police station to meet Afghan officials, where they appear to have felt safe.
It is thought they may have removed their helmets and body armour as proof of their trust in their hosts.
Tribal sources told the BBC the attacker was an Afghan policeman called Gulbuddin who may have been dispute with his local commander over being moved between units.
Another source claimed he had links to the Taliban. Nad-e'Ali has a large population of insurgents.
An Afghan police officers lights a cigarette as he sits in front the bullet riddled gate in Kabul last week
The attacker fled the scene after the shooting and his whereabouts are unknown but British forces were making every effort to find him, military officials said.
The British casualties were evacuated to the hospital at Camp Bastion. Several wounded men were flown in by Medical Emergency Response Teams using Chinook helicopters and a US Black Hawk.
The injured were rushed from the landing pad to the emergency department by ambulance where hospital medics and consultants were waiting en masse.
The military spokesman said two Afghan National Police (ANP) casualties were also evacuated by the ANP to the hospital at Bost in Lashkar Gah.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the soldiers describing their deaths as a 'terrible loss'.
'My thoughts, condolences and sympathies go to their families, loved ones and colleagues. I know that the whole country too will mourn their loss,' he said.
'They fought to make Afghanistan more secure, but above all to make Britain safer from the terrorism and extremism which continues to threaten us from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'I pay tribute to their courage, skill and determination. They will never be forgotten.
'It is my highest priority to ensure our heroic troops have the best possible support and equipment - and the right strategy, backed by our international partners, and by a new Afghan government ready to play its part in confronting the challenges Afghanistan faces.
'Our troops deserve nothing less. My commitment to them remains unshakeable.'
Members of the Gurkha Engineers on a training exercise at Camp Bastion yesterday. It is thought the soldiers killed may have removed their helmets and body armour as proof of their trust in their hosts at a nearby Afghan police station
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth added: 'I was extremely saddened to hear of the deaths of these courageous soldiers.
'It continues to be a difficult year in Afghanistan for our brave people who are operating within the most challenging area of the country.
'We owe it to them to show the resolve that they exhibit every day in building security and stability in Afghanistan and protecting the UK from the threat of terrorism.'
As well as the investigation by the British Military Police, the local chief of the ANP and the Afghan National Director of Security have begun an investigation at the scene.
The Grenadier Guards were working in a so-called Omlette team, helping to advise the ANP and Afghan National Army in training, tactics and patrol methods.
The shooting is the equal-worst loss of life in a single incident in three years, on a par with five soldiers who were killed by inter-linked bombs in July.
Only once have more members of the British Armed Forces died together throughout the whole war - when 14 were killed in the Nimrod crash in 2006.
The attack also makes 2009 the bloodiest year for the armed forces since the Falklands War.
Up until now, the worst period since the Falklands was 2007, when 89 members of the armed forces died on active service.
The latest deaths bring this year's figure to 94. The death toll in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001 now stands at 229.
On Saturday, Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, died near Sangin in central Helmand Province.
He had been due to fly back to the UK for a two-week break seven days later.
The attack comes just two days after Hamid Karzai was re-elected president after his rival pulled out of a run-off, planned for this weekend.
Rest in Piece Lads (Cammy)
making this year the single bloodiest for the UK armed forces since the Falklands War.
The policeman turned on the soldiers - three from the Grenadier Guards and two from the Royal Military Police - and started firing inside a military compound yesterday afternoon.
The attack took place in the Nad-e'Ali district of Helmand Province. The soldiers' families have been informed.
Five British soldiers have been killed by a rogue Afghan policeman in Helmand province. The casualties were taken to the hospital at Camp Bastion, where the troops above were training yesterday
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield said: 'The soldiers concerned were mentoring Afghan police. They were working inside and living inside an Afghan national police checkpoint.
'It would appear, and it is our initial understanding, that an individual Afghan policeman possibly acting with another started firing within the checkpoint before fleeing the scene.'
He stressed that the attack did not come as a result of any breakdown or fight between British and Afghan forces.
The group of at least 10 soldiers went to a police station to meet Afghan officials, where they appear to have felt safe.
It is thought they may have removed their helmets and body armour as proof of their trust in their hosts.
Tribal sources told the BBC the attacker was an Afghan policeman called Gulbuddin who may have been dispute with his local commander over being moved between units.
Another source claimed he had links to the Taliban. Nad-e'Ali has a large population of insurgents.
An Afghan police officers lights a cigarette as he sits in front the bullet riddled gate in Kabul last week
The attacker fled the scene after the shooting and his whereabouts are unknown but British forces were making every effort to find him, military officials said.
The British casualties were evacuated to the hospital at Camp Bastion. Several wounded men were flown in by Medical Emergency Response Teams using Chinook helicopters and a US Black Hawk.
The injured were rushed from the landing pad to the emergency department by ambulance where hospital medics and consultants were waiting en masse.
The military spokesman said two Afghan National Police (ANP) casualties were also evacuated by the ANP to the hospital at Bost in Lashkar Gah.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the soldiers describing their deaths as a 'terrible loss'.
'My thoughts, condolences and sympathies go to their families, loved ones and colleagues. I know that the whole country too will mourn their loss,' he said.
'They fought to make Afghanistan more secure, but above all to make Britain safer from the terrorism and extremism which continues to threaten us from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'I pay tribute to their courage, skill and determination. They will never be forgotten.
'It is my highest priority to ensure our heroic troops have the best possible support and equipment - and the right strategy, backed by our international partners, and by a new Afghan government ready to play its part in confronting the challenges Afghanistan faces.
'Our troops deserve nothing less. My commitment to them remains unshakeable.'
Members of the Gurkha Engineers on a training exercise at Camp Bastion yesterday. It is thought the soldiers killed may have removed their helmets and body armour as proof of their trust in their hosts at a nearby Afghan police station
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth added: 'I was extremely saddened to hear of the deaths of these courageous soldiers.
'It continues to be a difficult year in Afghanistan for our brave people who are operating within the most challenging area of the country.
'We owe it to them to show the resolve that they exhibit every day in building security and stability in Afghanistan and protecting the UK from the threat of terrorism.'
As well as the investigation by the British Military Police, the local chief of the ANP and the Afghan National Director of Security have begun an investigation at the scene.
The Grenadier Guards were working in a so-called Omlette team, helping to advise the ANP and Afghan National Army in training, tactics and patrol methods.
The shooting is the equal-worst loss of life in a single incident in three years, on a par with five soldiers who were killed by inter-linked bombs in July.
Only once have more members of the British Armed Forces died together throughout the whole war - when 14 were killed in the Nimrod crash in 2006.
The attack also makes 2009 the bloodiest year for the armed forces since the Falklands War.
Up until now, the worst period since the Falklands was 2007, when 89 members of the armed forces died on active service.
The latest deaths bring this year's figure to 94. The death toll in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001 now stands at 229.
On Saturday, Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, died near Sangin in central Helmand Province.
He had been due to fly back to the UK for a two-week break seven days later.
The attack comes just two days after Hamid Karzai was re-elected president after his rival pulled out of a run-off, planned for this weekend.
Rest in Piece Lads (Cammy)