The Wizard
Well-known member
- Jul 2, 2009
- 18,384
Three UK Soldiers die in Helmand.
Three British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Two of the soldiers were from 2nd Battalion The Rifles and the third was from 40 Regiment Royal Artillery.
They were killed while on foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province on Thursday morning. Their next of kin have been informed.
The deaths bring the total in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 199.
'Sad milestone'
Lt Col Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Today has been incredibly sad for the whole of Task Force Helmand, and particularly for The Rifles battle group, with whom all three soldiers were serving.
"We will all feel the loss of these brave soldiers, but it is their family, friends and loved ones, as well as the men and women who served alongside them, who feel the greatest pain and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers."
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the loss of the three men was "a tragedy".
"It brings us very close to the sad milestone of 200 fatalities in this conflict," he said.
"We cannot help but reflect on the toll the mission has taken on our people and their families and friends. But we must also keep in the forefront of our minds how important it is to the security of this country and its citizens.
"So many young men and women have been injured or given their lives to ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into the hands of the extremists and the terrorists who seek to threaten us and our interests.
"We must succeed. And we will."
Beyond a joke now.![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Three British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Two of the soldiers were from 2nd Battalion The Rifles and the third was from 40 Regiment Royal Artillery.
They were killed while on foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province on Thursday morning. Their next of kin have been informed.
The deaths bring the total in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 199.
'Sad milestone'
Lt Col Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Today has been incredibly sad for the whole of Task Force Helmand, and particularly for The Rifles battle group, with whom all three soldiers were serving.
"We will all feel the loss of these brave soldiers, but it is their family, friends and loved ones, as well as the men and women who served alongside them, who feel the greatest pain and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers."
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the loss of the three men was "a tragedy".
"It brings us very close to the sad milestone of 200 fatalities in this conflict," he said.
"We cannot help but reflect on the toll the mission has taken on our people and their families and friends. But we must also keep in the forefront of our minds how important it is to the security of this country and its citizens.
"So many young men and women have been injured or given their lives to ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into the hands of the extremists and the terrorists who seek to threaten us and our interests.
"We must succeed. And we will."
Beyond a joke now.