100 British Soldiers dead since beginning of Afghanistan

[[R-COM]TheScot666]

The grim milestone came as an insurgent detonated a large device strapped to his chest as the three men were on a routine foot patrol near their base in Helmand province.

The suicide attack was the most deadly attack on British forces this year and the biggest single loss of life suffered by troops in the country since last August, when three men from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment were killed when a US fighter dropped a 500lb bomb near their position.

It is unclear whether the unnamed soldiers who died on Sunday were from the 2nd or 3rd battalion The Parachute Regiment, who are both serving in the country.
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A fourth soldier was also injured in the attack and his injuries were described as non life-threatening.

British troops have been fighting in Afghanistan for seven years since special forces helped push out the Taliban.

In 2006, as a major new offensive was launched, former Defence Secretary John Reid suggested operations could be completed within three years "without firing one bullet".

But the deployment has seen two intense outbursts of fighting during the summers of 2006 and 2007 and more than 90 of the British victims have died in the past two years - almost double the mortality rate seen in Iraq.

There have also been increasing concerns about unnecessary losses caused by substandard equipment. The single worst tragedy was the death of 14 airmen after an ageing Nimrod plane malfunctioned over Helmand.

With roadside bombs accounting for a third of deaths, senior commanders are still worried that there are not enough helicopters in Helmand to allow troops to avoid being moved by roads that are frequently mined.

Of the 100 British troops killed in Afghanistan, 74 have been killed in action by enemy fire or explosives and 26 have died as a result of non-combat related injuries.

The enemy's tactics have constantly evolved. The success of British troops fighting against the Taliban in conventional warfare has forced the insurgents into terrorists' tactics of using roadside bombs and mines to kill troops as well as suicide bombers.

Not a single British soldier has been fatally shot for almost nine months, since Sergeant Craig Brelsford was hit by gunfire attempting to save a colleague behind enemy lines.

The youngest victim is 18-year-old Private Ben Ford from Derbyshire, the oldest 51-year-old Gary Thompson, who had five daughters.

Seven troops have been targeted by suicide bombers. Four died as a result of "friendly fire"; one took his own life; one accidentally shot himself, another was murdered by a drunk colleague.

Lt-Col Robin Matthews, spokesman for the taskforce in Helmand, said of the latest three killings: "One man was pronounced dead on arrival to hospital and two more died of wounds subsequently despite the best efforts of the emergency services.

"The fourth man is receiving treatment and is expected to recover."

At the height of last summer's operations, it was claimed that frontline troops in Helmand had a one in 36 chance of not surviving a six-month tour of duty, higher than those seen in the Korean and Falklands wars.

Among some battalions, the casualty rate last summer approached 10 per cent, triggering fears it might eclipse the 11 per cent losses sustained by British soldiers at the height of the Second World War.

Paras at an outpost deep in Taliban territory in Zabul province looked on grim-faced as they received the news on Sunday at a briefing by their company sergeant major.

Major Adam Wilson, the acting company commander of A Company, 3 Para, operating close to Helmand in Zabul province said: "The first thing is that every man in our unit is deeply saddened at the moment. Our immediate thoughts are with the families and friends when they find out this news for the first time.

"It is frustrating but we have a job to do and intend to do that to the best of our ability.

"This is a blow but we are paratroopers and we will continue the fight against a terrorist enemy who are trying to undermine the substantial steps forward that we have made in the past two years."

Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, the commander of the 8,000 British and Nato troops in Task Force Helmand, said in an interview with the Telegraph last week that the force had reached the "tipping point" against the Taliban whose leadership had been "decapitated".

In the last two years an estimated 7,000 Taliban have been killed, the majority in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

"The Taliban are much weaker," he said from 16 Air Assault Brigade headquarters in Lashkar Gah. "The tide is clearly ebbing not flowing for them. Their chain of command is disrupted and they are short of weapons and ammunition."

He added that the view in Britain on progress in Afghanistan was "unduly pessimistic".

Source - Daily Telegraph

Discuss...

[SiN|ScarFace]

People die in war, on all sides.

[robbo]

A sad sight indeed. A little more respect is due Scarface dont you think?

[nicoliani]

There have also been increasing concerns about unnecessary losses caused by substandard equipment. The single worst tragedy was the death of 14 airmen after an ageing Nimrod plane malfunctioned over Helmand.

26 have died as a result of non-combat related injuries.

With roadside bombs accounting for a third of deaths, senior commanders are still worried that there are not enough helicopters in Helmand to allow troops to avoid being moved by roads that are frequently mined.

To bad we train our men to be the best soldiers but they can not do anything for the irresponsibility they are forced upon of the quotes above.

[gclark03]

I'm pretty sure that more British infantrymen died in three days of World War II than in the whole of the Afghanistan war, but this is yet another part of the term 'modern warfare' - as technology and tactics improve, the life of each soldier is valued so much more that where 100 soldiers meant nothing in years past, they mean as much as 10,000 or 20,000 might have meant 40 years ago.

My condolences go out to the friends, family, and other loved ones of these British servicemen, as well as any others killed in the Middle Eastern conflict since 2003 (including any in Iraq as well).

[[R-DEV]CodeRedFox]

God I would have thought it was much more....I'm no way degrading the lost of a life. Just seems like low numbers for such a bad place.

[[ABA]Spike]

3 of the deaths we're none combat kills.


Name:George,Darren
Rank: Pte
Age: 23
From: Surrey Pirbright
Served with: Royal Anglian Regiment
Incident:
Shot by a colleague who had a 'dizzy spell' while handling a machine gun
Place: Not released


Name: Gregory, John
Rank: Cpl
Age: 30
From: North Yorkshire Catterick
Served with: Royal Logistic Corps
Incident: Suicid: killed himself
Place: Kabul International Airport Base


Name: Busuttil, Robert
Rank: Sgt
Age: 30
From: Swansea
Served with: Royal Logistic Corps
Incident: Unlawful killing: Shot dead at a barbecue by Cpl John Gregory, who then commited suicide
Place: Kabul
International Airport Base

Full list of brothers lost: BBC NEWS | UK | British military fatalities in Afghanistan

[[R-COM]TheScot666]

Its a sad sight to see indeed, but like people said, its not large compared to the fact we lost 25,000 on the first day of the Somme, but my condolences go to the families.

[SiN|ScarFace]

Originally Posted by robbo

A sad sight indeed. A little more respect is due Scarface dont you think?

No, I don't think so. I gave no disrespect either, the comment was to the discuss part. If he meant come in here and post a RIP, thats hardly discussion.