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Blackest day for British troops as eights soldiers are killed in 24 hours
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/article/13298887/2008/09/04/12286300.jpg
Eight British soldiers have been killed in one day on the Afghan front line.
It is the worst toll yet for a 24-hour period in Helmand and brings the number of British military deaths in the ravaged nation to 184, five more than the 179 who died in six years in Iraq.
In the most bloody incident, five soldiers were killed in a massive explosion in Sangin. Their deaths have not been confirmed officially. Three more troops died in individual incidents one of them from 4th Battalion, The Rifles, another from Princess of Waless Royal Regiment and one from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
It means 15 soldiers have been killed in nine days including the Commanding Officer of the Welsh Guards and three fellow officers.
Speaking yesterday at the G8 summit in Italy, when just two of the deaths had been confirmed, Mr Brown told of his sadness. Looking shaken, the Prime Minister said: For the families of those who have lost their lives I send my condolences and I will write to every one of them.
This has been a very hard summer but its not over. It is vital that the international community sees through its commitments.
Our resolution to complete the work that we have started in Afghanistan and Pakistan is undiminished. We knew from the start that defeating the insurgency in Helmand would be a hard and dangerous job but it is vital. There is a chain of terror that runs from the mountains
and towns of Afghanistan to the streets of Britain.
Having talked to President Obama and the rest of the world leaders, there is a recognition that this is a task the world has got to accept together and this is a task we have got to fulfil.
People see the importance of winning the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan so that the battle against the terrorists does not come to the streets of our country. The past 10 days have been extraordinarily difficult for our Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
It's times like these we remem-ber the debt with owe our Armed Forces. The first thing is the sadness that young lives were lost.
But one former soldier said the landmark would be meaningless to serving troops and warned that there would be many more fatalities before the mission was over.
Captain Doug Beattie, who retired recently after 27 years in the Army, said: Whether its the 179th or the 200th, the soldier will not think twice about that number.
They're just numbers but every number and every name has a story behind it. No soldier serving in Afghanistan will say, Thats 179, they will say, Thats my friend, thats my roommate, that's my commanding officer'.
Very soon we are going to hit the 200 mark. The likelihood is before we leave Afghanistan we are going to hit the 500 mark maybe even the 1,000 mark. But they are all false landmarks.
For the politicians and the MoD, public perception of the loss is crucial. For the soldiers on the ground, it wont matter.
Mr Beattie, who received the Military Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan with the Royal Irish Regiment, added that winning a counter-insurgency needed political will as well as military might.
The worst single loss of life since the Falklands War came in Afghanistan when 14 died in a Nimrod spy plane crash in 2006.
It was caused by a mid-air fuel leak above Kandahar Province.
On the ground, one of the most horrific losses of life was when six Royal Military Police soldiers were slaughtered in 2003 by an Iraqi mob in rebel town Mujar al Kabir. The latest death toll comes amid claims from former head of the Armed Forces Lord Guthrie that the government has underspent on the military.
Lord Guthrie former Chief of the Defence Staff said: I understand why the public are concer-ned. Britains military commanders on the ground are suffering from having too few people.
I spoke to an officer the other day who said that the Treasury had affected the operational safety of our soldiers by preventing an uplift in our numbers.
Lord Guthrie argued that British commanders wanted another 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, adding that the Treasury had underspent on the military because it was unsympathetic
He said: They were prepared to give very large amounts of money to other departments, but the minimum they could get away with to defence.
Elsewhere, defence experts say troops are likely to remain exposed.
Major-General Julian Thompson, former Commander of the Royal Marines, said: I am afraid this is the reality of war. We have to accept there will be further deaths to come. It is not possible fully to protect against these attacks.
Bomb devices have now become the main weapon of the Taliban, which has suffered huge losses in battles against UK forces.
Christopher Foss, editor of Jane's Armour & Artillery said: Whatever vehicle troops have got, its still not going to give them 100% protection against roadside bombs. Some of what the Taliban are planting and detonating, there's no way to combat it. Its highly effective.
Blackest day for British troops as eights soldiers are killed in 24 hours - mirror.co.uk
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/article/13298887/2008/09/04/12286300.jpg
Eight British soldiers have been killed in one day on the Afghan front line.
It is the worst toll yet for a 24-hour period in Helmand and brings the number of British military deaths in the ravaged nation to 184, five more than the 179 who died in six years in Iraq.
In the most bloody incident, five soldiers were killed in a massive explosion in Sangin. Their deaths have not been confirmed officially. Three more troops died in individual incidents one of them from 4th Battalion, The Rifles, another from Princess of Waless Royal Regiment and one from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
It means 15 soldiers have been killed in nine days including the Commanding Officer of the Welsh Guards and three fellow officers.
Speaking yesterday at the G8 summit in Italy, when just two of the deaths had been confirmed, Mr Brown told of his sadness. Looking shaken, the Prime Minister said: For the families of those who have lost their lives I send my condolences and I will write to every one of them.
This has been a very hard summer but its not over. It is vital that the international community sees through its commitments.
Our resolution to complete the work that we have started in Afghanistan and Pakistan is undiminished. We knew from the start that defeating the insurgency in Helmand would be a hard and dangerous job but it is vital. There is a chain of terror that runs from the mountains
and towns of Afghanistan to the streets of Britain.
Having talked to President Obama and the rest of the world leaders, there is a recognition that this is a task the world has got to accept together and this is a task we have got to fulfil.
People see the importance of winning the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan so that the battle against the terrorists does not come to the streets of our country. The past 10 days have been extraordinarily difficult for our Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
It's times like these we remem-ber the debt with owe our Armed Forces. The first thing is the sadness that young lives were lost.
But one former soldier said the landmark would be meaningless to serving troops and warned that there would be many more fatalities before the mission was over.
Captain Doug Beattie, who retired recently after 27 years in the Army, said: Whether its the 179th or the 200th, the soldier will not think twice about that number.
They're just numbers but every number and every name has a story behind it. No soldier serving in Afghanistan will say, Thats 179, they will say, Thats my friend, thats my roommate, that's my commanding officer'.
Very soon we are going to hit the 200 mark. The likelihood is before we leave Afghanistan we are going to hit the 500 mark maybe even the 1,000 mark. But they are all false landmarks.
For the politicians and the MoD, public perception of the loss is crucial. For the soldiers on the ground, it wont matter.
Mr Beattie, who received the Military Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan with the Royal Irish Regiment, added that winning a counter-insurgency needed political will as well as military might.
The worst single loss of life since the Falklands War came in Afghanistan when 14 died in a Nimrod spy plane crash in 2006.
It was caused by a mid-air fuel leak above Kandahar Province.
On the ground, one of the most horrific losses of life was when six Royal Military Police soldiers were slaughtered in 2003 by an Iraqi mob in rebel town Mujar al Kabir. The latest death toll comes amid claims from former head of the Armed Forces Lord Guthrie that the government has underspent on the military.
Lord Guthrie former Chief of the Defence Staff said: I understand why the public are concer-ned. Britains military commanders on the ground are suffering from having too few people.
I spoke to an officer the other day who said that the Treasury had affected the operational safety of our soldiers by preventing an uplift in our numbers.
Lord Guthrie argued that British commanders wanted another 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, adding that the Treasury had underspent on the military because it was unsympathetic
He said: They were prepared to give very large amounts of money to other departments, but the minimum they could get away with to defence.
Elsewhere, defence experts say troops are likely to remain exposed.
Major-General Julian Thompson, former Commander of the Royal Marines, said: I am afraid this is the reality of war. We have to accept there will be further deaths to come. It is not possible fully to protect against these attacks.
Bomb devices have now become the main weapon of the Taliban, which has suffered huge losses in battles against UK forces.
Christopher Foss, editor of Jane's Armour & Artillery said: Whatever vehicle troops have got, its still not going to give them 100% protection against roadside bombs. Some of what the Taliban are planting and detonating, there's no way to combat it. Its highly effective.
Blackest day for British troops as eights soldiers are killed in 24 hours - mirror.co.uk
