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Afghan assassin kills five British soldiers in ambush
Ross Lydall and Nicholas Cecil04.11.09
Five British soldiers were shot dead and six were wounded when a rogue Afghan policeman opened fire without warning in a military compound, the Ministry of Defence said today.
The men, three Grenadier Guards and two military policemen, were off duty and had removed their body armour and helmets as they relaxed after a patrol with Afghan police who they were training.
One of the Afghans, probably high on heroin, picked up a Kalashnikov machinegun and began shooting before fleeing on a motorbike in Helmand Province.
Two of the Grenadier Guards were named as James Major, 18, and Sergeant Matt Telford, a father of two who joined up at 16.
VIDEO: Casualties arriving at Camp Bastion after Afghanistan shooting
Sgt Telford's uncle, William Ferrand, said: “Matt lived for his job, he loved it. Everybody knows what a wonderful lad he was.”
Sgt Telford leaves a wife, Kerry, and sons
aged four and nine.
Mr Ferrand said: “Whatever Kerry wants, we will do as much as we can to help her. We are a military family.”
The other Grenadier Guard and the two military police are believed to have connections with Aldershot.
The soldiers had been out yesterday with men from the Afghan National Police, who they were mentoring, in an area known by the British as “the Wild West”.
The killings take the total British deaths in Afghanistan to 229 and makes this year the worst for loss of military lives since the Falklands with 92 killed.
Gordon Brown told the Commons the Taliban had claimed responsibility. He said: “The death of five brave soldiers in a single incident is a terrible loss.”
He vowed to continue with the mentoring programme because it was “what the Taliban fear most”.
In London, flags were flying at halfmast at Wellington Barracks, home to the Grenadier Guards.
Reader views (26)
Bring our troops home now, let them sort out there own country,we have enough to sort out here why does our government have to waste billions when it should be spent hear in our own country.We need to concentrate on our own country not on others
- Andrew, Palmers Green,London
Cut off the aid budget. Let them reconstruct their own country. We need the money back home.
- Sue R, London
Hello London,
We live on an Island why can't we patrol it 24/7 with our armed forces, air, sea, and land,
This must be the way forward as most Afghans Don't want us in there country anyway.
Tighten all boarders in the U.K. don't take any nonsense from Brussles, and above all else BRING OUR BOY'S AND GIRLS HOME NOW ....... ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Mr Brown.
This conflict is costing us millions and no cost can be put on a life and we are losing good people for NO REASON, today proves it I'm sorry if people think I'm wrong but it's time for a rethink NOW.
It's alright for M.Ps. and the P.M. but they are here and our forces are hurting and being killed over there.
To all our War Dead R.I.P. and to those injured get well soon, and to all families I am thinking of you all, God Bless You.
- John L., Scarborough N.YKS. England. U.K.
I would like to ask Brown who did the taliban claim responsibility to, what utter garbish,did they phone him.he came out with this nonsense to save face.
- Alex., brighton
If some of the police force in Afghanistan are being infiltrated by the Taliban doesn't this have a completely different outlook for our troops. We were led to believe that the people would willingly accept our methods of policing a mostly hostile country, what we are actually seeing is resentment at poking our nose in. If it were about protecting us in Great Britain why are our troops not here instead. If it were just about the opium poppies why dont they just blow them out of the ground. The Taliban have been around forever, they are not going to disappear now!!
- Pamela Mckay, Dagenham Essex
These politicians will keep poking their noses into other peoples countries,surely there is enough to do in this country,the money being wasted in Afganistan could be put to better use here,we are no longer a powerful force to be reckoned with ,as some people think,those days are long gone.
- Davey_Bouy, Chertsey UK
Actually, the troops were sent to Afghanistan to destroy the terrorist training camps. They did this and then some bright spark decided the troops should stay and implement Western style democracy in the region. Then Labour started spinning the news with the help of their Media cohorts to suggest our forces were there to spread moral superiority, i.e. better treatment of women and freedom for the people, etc. This was an entirely fatuous claim, as we don’t impose our moral and political standards elsewhere.
Those troops have not died in vain because they achieved the aim for destroying the training camps. They have been failed by our abysmal and incompetent Govt. Bring them home and invest the money saved on proper border controls and intelligence.
- D, KentishTown
I keep hearing the same things... we won't let them die in vain... we are not going to let the Taliban win...
Sorry but that’s all nonsense. This is an unwinnable war and as such when we do eventually move out our soldiers will have died in vain. Soldiers don’t choose their battles they follow orders. It’s disgusting this government won't pull them out. Yes Gordon Brown my think he will lose face but our soldiers are losing there lives… The problems in Afghanistan go back hundreds of years not decades… and smarter men than the ones in this pathetic government have tried and failed to control country.
- Paul B, London
One of the problems is that the Taliban do not wear uniforms and thus they mingle with innocent civilians with the same civilian dress. Tragic incidents such as todays will I believe be repeated. Blair and Brown who got us into this utter mess should apologise to the UK public , especially the families of the deceased soldiers, while they go to war on a frugal budget. Labour try to provide democracy to Afghanistan while them remove democracy away from the UK with this Lisbon Treaty.[ which was in their 2005 manifesto to hold a referendum ] This is the policy of madmen or conmen. Take your pick !!
- John, dundee
@ Mickey > My history teacher at school used to say "Those who do not learn from history are condemmed to repeat it".
Actually the quote is philosopher George Santayana's: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'.
Or, as Michael Herr wrote in Dispatches, the legendary chronicle of a great reporter's Vietnam experience: 'Those who remember the past are condemned to repeat it too, that's a little history joke.'
Being played out in front of all us now.
- Sarah, London
Once again I'm deeply saddened by the news from Afganistan I'm hoping that eventually America will realize that this is a war that can't be won, because that is the only way our Government will bring or brave forces home.
- Mike M, Bedford England
The problem with fighting this sort of terrorist war is, as proven with this event, that you can't identify your enemy which was to the detriment of the Americans in Vietnam and was one of the causes of their failure.
- Robert Thornton, Malaga, Spain
More blood on the hands of Gordon Brown & Labour party.
- Porky Pies, New Addington, Croydon
Sue, What is a terrorists exactly?
If they are on our side they are freedom fighters, if they are the enemy, they are terrorists?
The "terrorist" means nothing.
We should not be there trying to 'help' in the first place. No wonder they are ****** off.
- Serox, London
"In spite of this latest tragedy, I still believe that UK and coalition troops should remain in Afghanistan until the job is finally done." Agreed. This is a war we cannot lose. The nation needs to get behind the government and the army with whole-hearted support and clear commitment to see this war through. People would simply never have talked like those posting here do during the second world war. Think what would have happened if we had lost that.
- Peace Maker, Battersea
Much as I hate to admit it, to evacuate from Afghanistan now will come back and eventually bite us very hard.
I agree we should never have gone in in the first place but now we are there, to pull out would give the Taliban and Al Qaeda such a boost that they would go back on the offensive internationally and it would only be a matter of time before we have another 7/7, possibly another 9/11. What would we do then? Go back into Afghanistan and try and then root out refreshed and re-armed Taliban?
The Soviets and those who went before fought the whole country or most of it. I am not so sure that it is so one-sided now. Moreover, are we so devoid of compassion that we would sit back and do no more than tut-tut the next time a resurgent Taliban executes a woman for showing her naked ankles or goes to school or for some other normal activity it considers a capital offence?
- Crash Murphy, Broxbourne
Years ago it was the Americans and the British who helped
the Taliban fight Soviet forces,these same Taliban are now killing British troops.
How things change and for the worse.
- David Nigel Braham, Milan Italy
The tipping point. The withdrawal is being planned from today, you see. That's it.
- Davidke, ramsey isle of man
lets get out of this NOW even the elections are done for why should our boys be there for this farce of a government
- Terry Chambers, London
My history teacher at school used to say "Those who do not learn from history are condemmed to repeat it". In hundreds of years no-one has won a war in Afganistan, even the Russians who put in 250000 men suffereed horrific casualties and adandoned the operation.
How many more have got to come back dead or maimed to assueage to stupidity and vanity of politicians
- Mickey, London N4
Bring our troops home. We are never going to resolve terrorism (especially that which is home grown). All this loss of life is unnecessary as Afghanistan is never going to be rid of terrorists or be a democratic country.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
Well we certainly didn't win one heart and mind and all those Afghan terrorists on the streets of London are causing such a problem.
- Robert Thornton, Malaga, Spain
How many more of our brave soldiers are going to be sacrificed in a war that cannot be won by the West?
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
In spite of this latest tragedy, I still believe that UK and coalition troops should remain in Afghanistan until the job is finally done. There are call for them to withdraw, but if they withdaw now, then those men will have died for nothing and both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda will have won. Is that what we want? Obviously, more work must be done on vetting Iraqi police applicants to try to prevent any reoccurance of this tragic incident.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
How many more, Gordon?
- Andy, London
Bring our men home. Leave the god forsaken country and its people to decide their own fate.
- Carl, London
