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Three soldiers from the Parachute Regiment were killed and a fourth was critically injured in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said today.
The special forces unit was on routine patrol in a Jackal armoured vehicle helping to train Afghan forces when a roadside device went off.
After the blast the vehicle was hit with small-arms fire but it is understood the men died instantly. Their families have been told.
A total of 195 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. The body of a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers who died on Tuesday was flown home today.
The Paras died north of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province yesterday afternoon. The 4x4 Jackal has been used in Afghanistan following concerns about protection provided by the Snatch Land Rover, but there have still been a number of fatalities involving the vehicle.
The Standard's defence correspondent said the carefully prepared way the Taliban sprang the ambush indicates that they had received expert military training.
Brigadier-General Eric Tremblay said: “We are very saddened by the death of these fine soldiers and stand behind their bereaved families, friends and comrades. Our forces risk their lives every day to help eliminate Taliban oppression in Afghanistan.” The soldiers are thought to have been members of the First Battalion which is permanently attached to the Special Forces Support Group, providing backup to SAS men and special operations.
At the time of the attack, they were training Afghan soldiers by accompanying them on patrol.
Since last November, when the first deaths of troops in a Jackal occurred, 14 soldiers have been killed while using them.
The open-sided vehicle is valued by the SAS for its speed, firepower and off-road ability.
Although its open sides offer no protection from explosions, military experts say the Jackal's mobility is more important than its lack of armour.
By veering off the roads it can avoid predictable routes where heavily armoured vehicles are more easily targeted with booby traps. Army sources said the Jackal was now the “first choice” for patrols because of this and there was no suggestion that the Paras would have preferred a vehicle offering greater protection.
There have been complaints of helicopter and kit shortages, and a need for more heavily armoured vehicles to guard against roadside bombs.
“Honestly speaking I think we need more troops,” he said. “I have seen progress in the south, not least thanks to the increase in the number of troops.”
Bombs targeting Shia pilgrims and worshippers went off across Iraq today, killing at least 17 people.
* The body of a British soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan was flown home today. Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, 21, pictured, from Scunthorpe, died in Babaji in Helmand Province on Tuesday.
People of Wootton Bassett lined the route as his coffin was driven past after arriving
at nearby RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.
Reader views (13)
The Taliban certainly has become emboldened since the election of Obama. They have no fear now, and the US is actually trying to 'negotiate' with these evil, murderous pieces of filth that hide behind the banner of "religion of peace"
- Trunk, US, 09/08/2009 05:49
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Roz, Every word is true,And to those who want your troops out, and bring them home, I say" yellowbelly" and traitors.
- Surj, london, 08/08/2009 22:56
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Roz's explanation of what it means to be a soldier is one of the best things I have ever read. Thank you.
- Mary, London, 08/08/2009 05:56
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Roz of France has nailed it! Now why don't the rest off you nanny poms shut up and go back to your knitting!
- Billl Dolan, Ngahere, New Zealand, 08/08/2009 03:11
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the only way to prevent our soldiers from dying is to pull them out of afghanistan and iraq they have no business there any way
- Kc, London Boy, 07/08/2009 21:12
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Once again, our soldiers are killed in vehicles by 'roadside bombs'. -When will the army find an answer to this? -Surely time for some serious lateral thinking?
- Tony H, Cumbernauld Scotland, 07/08/2009 16:20
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I don't think a lot of people understand why young men and women join the Armed Forces: my husband, who is ex-Special Forces, explained it to me that (a) it doesn't really occur to them that they might die - only someone else and (b) they don't die for YOU, The Public, nor do they die fighting for a political belief: they die for their friends with whom they are fighting. Most of those who serve a long time enjoy the excitement and danger: most of them participate in 'extreme' sports in their leisure time and pack their lives full of excitement. Most of them miss it when they leave, and try to recreate something akin to it in civilian life, often carrying out similar work in a civilian capacity. Joining the Armed Forces gives a very full life to a lot of people who, frankly, are not suited to a 9-5 desk job. After the second unprovoked Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Centre, the Public was terrified and demanded to be protected: that is why young men are dying in Afghanistan. You either have to have an army which is photographed in fancy dress outside Buckingham Palace, or you have to have an Army that fights. If you want an Army that fights, deaths are inevitable. If you just want an Army for tourists to photograph, you become a 'Protectorate' of America. The US will make military decisions which affect you without asking you first and will want to base long-range weapons all over its little out-post on the edge of Europe, making Britain a greater target.
- Roz, France, 07/08/2009 16:19
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This situation will go on for years,and many,many more of our troops will be killed,as they were in Northern Island,we managed to rectify that situation by negotiation,how many more are going to die,before we adopt the same policy in Afghanistan?
- Colin, Bristol, 07/08/2009 15:22
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Enough has been given by our armed forces. We must leave Afghanistan and let them stand up for themselves without the ordinary Afghan being torn between 2 types of daily life. Only when they themselves have laid the ground for constructive changes for the children, women, medicine, government will it be the good for them and the world's efforts benefit them with assistance to civil progress. For any politician or Armed Forces person to tell us that we need to be there is ridiculous it is now at the point of immorality to all sides and of no benefit to anyone. And I am tired of hearing the same rhetoric that was said by male leaders as far back as ever to justify a penchant for war. It alarms me that our leaders are so retro-rooted. If you want Afghan for minerals or oil or whatever say but don't insult me by standing and telling me that every politician or Armed Forces heads cares about the people of Afghan; for security use other ways which IT etc. has made available. Boys, stop playing war games using men of UK that are often the single child of that family - there is no longer the natural supply of humans since successful contraception, that is why we are counting every loss and the on going suffering of every severe injury. As said in the article, many of these would have died previously but now will suffer ongoing and looking at for what, - it is chilling when one cannot justify these negatives.
- Janet, Dunbarton Scotland, 07/08/2009 15:03
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The fact is that on these dangerous missions you will get casualties.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 07/08/2009 14:55
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How about "better life opportunities" for our boys - like bringing them home from this festering shambles of a country.
- Ted, London, 07/08/2009 13:26
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Besides the dead my thoughts are also with those injured in Afghanistan. Many are suffering horrific injuries (loss of limbs, blinded, head injuries, etc.) which would have proved fatal even 20 years ago. With medical advances particularly in trauma care the majority will survive. They have given part of themselves for this country (UK).
So whilst my those are with the families of the dead they are also with the injured and their families. They seem to have become the unseen victims of the war. We need to include them to show the true cost of the war in human terms.
- Michael, London, 07/08/2009 13:01
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Paratroopers or Marines?
- Peter Glazier, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 07/08/2009 12:57
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