The soldier was serving as part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North), on a patrol to disrupt insurgent movements in the area, when he was killed as a result of small-arms fire.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Ian Lawrence, said:

“Sadly, I must report that today a soldier from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has died of a gunshot wound sustained while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

“The thoughts and prayers of all in the Task Force and Combined Force are with his family and friends at this tragic time.”

The soldier’s family have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.

Sergeant Luke Taylor, Royal Marines, and Lance Corporal Michael Foley of the Adjutant General's Corps. Picture: via MOD

The two men were serving as part of Task Force Helmand when they were shot and killed at the main entrance to Lashkar Gah Main Operating Base in Helmand province.

Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond MP, said:

“I was very saddened to learn of the deaths of Sergeant Luke Taylor and Lance Corporal Michael Foley, brave and committed British servicemen who died in the most tragic of circumstances whilst on operations. They died in the service of their country; they were in Afghanistan to protect Britain’s national security.

“Both men were known to their colleagues for their professionalism and military qualities, but outside of their careers, it is clear that both were also true and devoted family men. My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with all those left behind.”

Continues at: Sergeant Luke Taylor and Lance Corporal Michael Foley killed in Afghanistan

Captain Rupert William Michael Bowers. Picture via MOD

Captain Bowers, of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters) (2 MERCIAN), was attached to 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2 RIFLES), operating as an advisor to the Afghan National Army.

Captain Bowers commanded a small team responsible for the training and development of the Afghan National Army based in Forward Operating Base Ouellette, in the Mirmandab region of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand province.

On 21 March 2012, Captain Bowers was leading a patrol to clear a position from the threat of insurgents when he was killed by the explosion from an improvised explosive device.

Continues at: mod.uk – Captain Rupert Bowers killed in Afghanistan

Top row (from left): Sergeant Nigel Coupe, Corporal Jake Hartley and Private Anthony Frampton. Bottom row (from left): Private Christopher Kershaw, Private Daniel Wade and Private Daniel Wilford. Pictures: Iain Hamer, Crown Copyright/MOD 2012

The six soldiers were killed in Lashkar Gah Durai region in an operational area on the border of Helmand and Kandahar provinces.   They were on a patrol to dominate the area and maintain freedom of movement when their Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device resulting, tragically, in the death of all six personnel.

Continues at: mod.uk – Sergeant Nigel Coupe, Corporal Jake Hartley, Private Anthony Frampton, Private Christopher Kershaw, Private Daniel Wade and Private Daniel Wilford killed in Afghanistan

A second Albanian and another international soldier were wounded, the officials said.

Continues at: nytimes.com – Gunmen kill Albanian

Rifleman Sachin Limbu. Picture: via MOD

He died from wounds sustained while serving in Afghanistan in June 2010.

Rifleman Sachin Limbu was a member of 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR). He deployed on Operation HERRICK 12 with B (Sari Bari) Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles as a machine gunner.

He was involved in a number of operations to stabilise the area of Walizi Village, many of which involved intense, protracted and close-quarter combat in an area known to present a high risk from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

On 24 June 2010 his multiple deployed on a patrol to Walizi as part of an operation to enable Local National Freedom of movement and deter insurgent activity in the area. As this multiple reached its objective, an area characterised by frequent insurgent attacks, Rifleman Sachin moved into a fire position to provide protection to his comrades and was caught in an explosion from a hidden IED.

He was evacuated to Selly Oak via Camp Bastion. Rifleman Sachin died on 2 January 2012, in the New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, surrounded by his family.

Continues at: mod.uk – Rifleman Sachin Limbu dies in UK from wounds sustained in Afghanistan

Private John King. Picture via MOD

Private King was taking part in a partnered foot patrol with Afghan National Security Forces to increase security around the village of Llara Kalay, in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

The patrol had identified insurgents in the area and had begun to search and clear a number of compounds in the village. The Afghan National Army members of the patrol came under fire from insurgents and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers moved forwards to support them. During the firefight Private King was caught in the blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and was killed in action, despite the best efforts of medics at the scene.

Continues at: mod.uk – Private John King killed in Afghanistan

Squadron Leader Anthony Downing. Picture: via MOD

He had been seriously wounded when the vehicle he was travelling in was caught in an explosion south of Kabul on Thursday 22 December. He was flown back to the UK where sadly, he died of his wounds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. His family were with him when he died.

Captain Tom Jennings, Royal Marines, whose death was announced separately by the Ministry of Defence, had been travelling in the same vehicle.

Continues at: mod.uk – Squadron Leader Anthony Downing dies of wounds sustained in Afghanistan

Captain Tom Jennings, Royal Marines. Picture: via MOD

Capt Jennings died after the vehicle he was travelling in struck an explosive device whilst on an operation to the south of Kabul.

Squadron Leader Anthony Downing RAF, whose death was announced separately by the Ministry of Defence, had been travelling in the same vehicle.

Captain Tom Jennings, Royal Marines

Capt Jennings died after the vehicle he was travelling in struck an explosive device whilst on an operation to the south of Kabul.

Capt Jennings, aged 29, was a true leader, selfless in his professional approach serving those who were his responsibility. Dedicated and humble, he was an archetypal Royal Marine with a keen sense of humour even when faced with adversity. Whilst working with the Afghan forces that he partnered, he displayed empathy and a broad cultural understanding that ensured he was highly valued by the Afghans as well as his Royal Marine brothers.

He was devoted to his wife and their two young sons whose loss cannot be portrayed in words. The Royal Marines have lost a brother, they have lost their world.

Capt Jennings’ family have asked that their privacy is respected.

Sapper Elijah Bond. Picture: via MOD

Serving with the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group, he was a member of a team that was conducting an engineer reconnaissance task in the Deh Adham Khan region of Nahr-e Saraj (North) in central Helmand, on 6 December 2011, when he was injured in a blast from an improvised explosive device.

His colleagues provided immediate first aid before he was evacuated by helicopter to the military hospital in Camp Bastion, where he received further medical attention. He was then flown under the care of a Critical Care Air Support Team to the Queen Elizabeth NHS Hospital in Birmingham where, on 8 December, he died of his wounds.

Continues at: mod.uk – Sapper Elijah Bond dies in UK from wounds sustained in Afghanistan

The Taliban took responsibility for the attack. In a statement on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the militant group said Afghans became the biggest victims of response to the attacks.

Continues at: washingtonpost.com – Nearly 80 NATO troops wounded in attack in Afghanistan

Sergeant Barry Weston with his daughters, Jasmine, Poppy and Rose. Picture: via MOD

Sgt Weston was killed while leading a patrol operating near the village of Sukmanda in southern Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province.

The patrol was participating in an operation to draw insurgents away from the civilian population in order to disrupt their activity and further expand the influence of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

During the patrol, Sgt Weston was fatally injured by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

Continues at: Sergeant Barry Weston killed in Afghanistan

The Royal Marine was killed in the Sukmanda area of Nahr-e Saraj (South) District of Helmand province while on a foot patrol to disrupt insurgent activity when he was fatally injured by an improvised explosive device.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, said:

“It is with deep regret that I have to inform you of the death of a Royal Marine from 42 Commando Royal Marines in the Sukmanda area of Nahr-e Seraj District in Helmand province.

“The Royal Marine was part of a foot patrol deployed to disrupt insurgent activity in this contested area and so permit the expansion and development of governance.

“His patrol was providing a security screen for other patrols when, leading his patrol, he was fatally injured by an Improvised Explosive Device. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Next of kin have been informed and asked for a period of grace before further details are released.

From www.mod.uk 

Cpl Grant, 41, died when gunmen stormed the British Council office in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least 12 people.

Continues at: bbc.co.uk – NZ soldier killed in Kabul attack on UK compound named

Lieutenant Daniel John Clack. Picture: via MOD.

Approximately 150 metres from the front gate his patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device, killing him and injuring five other members of his patrol.

Continues at: mod.uk – Lieutenant Daniel John Clack killed in Afghanistan

Continues at: bbc.co.uk – French soldier killed in Afghanistan

CNSNews.com reports:

One-third of the total 1,259 U.S. military deaths reported since the beginning of the nine-year Afghan war have taken place this year, with two months still to go, according to CNSNews.com’s database of war casualties.

As of Nov. 1, 1,259 U.S. military fatalities have been reported since the Afghanistan war began in October 2001, of which 407 (32.2 percent) happened this year.

At least 699, or more than 55 percent, of all the American fatalities in Afghanistan have taken place since President Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.

In November, at least 49 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, exceeding the 42 who died in September.

This year already is the deadliest for American forces in Afghanistan. The 407 deaths so far this year amount to about 25 percent more than the 303 that occurred in 2009, the second deadliest year for U.S. forces.

Nevertheless, there were fewer deaths during October 2010 than in the same period last year. In October 2009, 58 American soldiers were killed, making it the deadliest month for U.S. troops that year.

Most American soldiers killed in 2010 and throughout the war have died in combat. There have been about 390 combat-related deaths so far this year (out of the total 407) and 1,108 combat-related deaths (of the total 1,259) throughout the war.

Historically, most of the heavy fighting takes place during the Afghanistan summer months of June to September. However, in both 2009 and 2010, the month of October has been one of the deadliest.

…The top five deadliest months of the war, accounting for both combat and non-combat deaths, have taken place during Obama’s term. Those five months were:
 
1. July 2010 (65 deaths)
2. June 2010 (60 deaths)
3. October 2009 (58 deaths)
4. August 2010 (55 deaths)
5. August 2009 (51 deaths)

Last December Obama said that depending on ground conditions, U.S. troops would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011, which is less than a year away.

Another ‘accomplishment’ from Obama. Give him a Nobel Peace Prize for dithering.

As of July 31, almost half of all U.S. fatalities in Afghanistan have happened on President Barack Obama’s watch. Since Obama took office in January 2009, 558 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan, out of 1,127 since the war began nine years ago, according to CNSNews.com’s tally.
 
And the violence is escalating. July 2010 was the deadliest month for U.S forces in Afghanistan, with 66 combat and non-combat fatalities.
 
Counting for both combat and non-combat deaths, the top three bloodiest months for U.S. forces all happened during Obama’s term: July 2010 (66 dead), June 2010 (60 dead), and October 2009 (58 dead).
 
For the 558 U.S. soldiers who have died so far on Obama’s watch, 513 (about 92 percent) were killed in combat. Those 513 combat-related deaths on Obama’s watch account for more than half of the 963 combat deaths that have taken place since the war began in October 2001.

Continue reading…

Sergeant Brett Till, killed in Afghanistan. Photo: Department of Defence.

As I noted when I posted about the death of the ninth Australian soldier in Afghanistan, since named as Corporal Mathew Hopkins of 7 RAR, to this point the news media have had difficulty forming a narrative around the Australian involvement in Afghanistan. The massive failures of vigilance and intestinal fortitude in the leadup to and early days of the Iraq War still haunts the way Afghanistan is reported, and the urge is to portray Afghanistan as Iraq, a slow grind of mounting casualties and civilian deaths in a faraway nation where we should never have been in the first place.

It’s in that context that we must see the death of Sergeant Brett Till of the Incident Response Regiment. Suddenly the anaemic narrative seems a lot more substantial. The Australian reported the tragedy as the “second Australian fatality in four days”, and gave almost as much depth on the death of Corporal Hopkins as on Sergeant Till, while including a link to a slightly tacky graphic giving dates and locations for all Australian deaths in Afghanistan. It seems News Ltd are letting the difficulty in finding the narrative in Afghanistan get the better of them, since the Daily Telegraph also included a slightly poor-taste touch, a poll to vote on whether Australia should immediately withdraw from Afghanistan.

The ABC reported the story as Australia’s horrific week, and in the follow-up story revealing Sergeant Till’s identity, almost seemed to deliberately rebuke the Telegraph‘s little poll with the dignified words of Sergeant Till’s wife:

“He was not a hateful, spiteful or revengeful man. He was good, humble and honourable with unequivocal, uncomplicated intentions,” she said.

She asked that his death not be used for political agendas or arguments about Australia’s Defence Force.

“Use it as a chance to meet a man, to praise a man who is perfect in so many ways. Who has left me a gift which I will treasure, forever and ever,” she said.

“If people wish to respect the memory of this great man… this brilliant father, this compassionate son, this reliable mate, this wonderful loving husband… then do good things. “

The Telegraph seem to have taken this to heart, since as I write the poll link no longer works.

Worth noting is the strong emphasis placed on both men’s young families. The additional drama of a bereaved family helps in attracting the interest of a public who sometimes have difficulty sympathising with the trained killers who defend them. A strong emphasis on the fact that Sergeant Till died while protecting his mates also runs throughout the coverage, with Chief of Defence Force Angus Houston quoted as saying Till “lost his life trying to make the environment safe for his mates and local Afghans by neutralising the threat the device posed.” It is unclear whether this is to be taken as more or less heroic than those soldiers like Jason Marks or Luke Worsley who died in direct combat action against the Taliban.

The most salient point from all this coverage is the feeling of just how tenuous the support for the Afghanistan deployment is in Australian society. Certainly members of Defence are  nervous about the Government’s ability to stay behind this operation they view as very important, and it is far from clear what the fate of the mission would be in the politically damaging event of a mass casualty such as that suffered by the French in August last year. The irony is that France, whose name has become a byword for irresolute cowardice in right-wing discourse, has remained unwavering after such a tragic blow, while questions are raised in Australia over as many deaths over seven years.

On a final note, this story shows how a tenuous connection to an ongoing narrative can get an event national coverage when it would normally barely make the national papers.

Two Australian soldiers have died since Monday, serving in Afghanistan.

A third died on Thursday evening in a head-on crash on Darwin’s Amy Johnson Drive at Hidden Valley.

High-speed crashes, sadly, are a relatively common cause of death for Australian soldiers. Without making any specific comment on this case, youth, testosterone, alcohol (ab)use and thrillseeking bahaviour are common in the militaries of all nations. Coming in this particular week, however, this soldier’s death becomes national news.

Special Operations personnel train in Afghanistan. Photo: Department of Defence.

Today the Defence Department announced that another Australian soldier had been killed in Afghanistan, this time a member of the forces training the Afghan Army. From the Sydney Morning Herald article:

The insurgents attacked a foot patrol of Australian and Afghan soldiers near Karakak, about 12 kilometres north of Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan province, yesterday afternoon AEST time, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said.

The insurgents used small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, and drew the patrol into a long battle. Coalition forces were then called in as back-up, he said.

The Australian soldier, a member of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Taskforce, was shot and killed, Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

These stories are central to the way the Australian news media cover Australia’s foreign deployments. As tends to be the case with democracies in the absence of immediate threats to the homeland, the question of war becomes one of value, value for treasure and value for blood. In the minds of many Australians, including a large number who should know better, the ongoing battle against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the invasion of Iraq and ongoing bloody occupation of that nation. That link shapes the way Afghanistan is reported and debated, as Australians watch grimly in expectation of an ever-escalating death toll, grieving mothers, and human rights violations.

The Australian has played to this tendency, publishing a timeline of ADF personnel killed in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2002. However, the fact that Australian soldiers have been involved in significant combat operations since 2005 with only eight deaths prevents any significant narrative developing along these lines.

There is more potential in the annual “spring in Oruzgan province” narrative, as The Australian has used here. It’s tried and tested, and has the advantage of being true to an extent, although the death of Gregory Sher in the depths of the Afghani winter is proof that it ain’t necessarily so. An extract:

Warmer weather brings hard fighting season in Afghanistan

AUSTRALIAN commanders are bracing for a hard fighting season in Oruzgan province as Taliban insurgents fan out across southern Afghanistan.

The latest Australian combat death in Afghanistan comes as intelligence assessments point to heightened risks for coalition forces as insurgents regroup for the spring and summer fighting season.

The article meandres from that point, however, indicating the recurring point that the Australian news media doesn’t really know how to report Afghanistan. As is too often the case, the narrative is what gets reported, and in the absence of one the coverage seems confused and directionless.

The number of Army suicides in January could exceed all combat deaths for that month.

Figures show 24 suspected suicides in January compared to only four in the same month last year, six in January 2007 and 10 in January 2006.

This year’s January suicides include seven confirmed and 17 still being investigated. Usually the vast majority of suspected suicides are eventually confirmed.

If that holds true it would mean that self-inflicted deaths surpassed the 16 combat deaths reported in all branches of the armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations considered part of the global war on terror last month.

The Army has rarely, if ever, released a month-by-month update on suicides, but officials said today that they wanted to re-emphasize “the urgency and seriousness necessary for preventive action at all levels” of the force.

The Army leadership also took the unusual step of briefing congressional leaders this morning.

The high count for January follows an annual report last week showing that soldiers killed themselves at the highest rate on record in 2008. The toll for all of last year — 128 confirmed and 15 pending investigation — was an increase for the fourth straight year and even surpassed the suicide rate among civilians.

“The trend and trajectory seen in January further heightens the seriousness and urgency that all of us must have in preventing suicides,” Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, said today.

[Based on a report by the Associated Press.]

But yes, NPR is a good combination of news and entertaining random info. Today however, a clip I was listening to made me start to cry at my desk.

The story (click here to listen) is about two young soldiers from Mashpee that died within a day of each other last week (one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan.) It’s only a few minutes, and it’s worth listening too. Beyond listening, I’m not so sure what to do, but for now I think just hearing the clip is important. (And despite how sad it is, you still have to appreciate the awesome Massachusetts-ness of Paul’s friend refering to him as “that dude.”)

(On somewhat of a lighter note: This interview with  geezer-esque comedian Mort Sahl is very cool too. Sahl’s sort of the father of the John Stewart-Colbert-Onion-sarcastic-political-comedian thing, and he has some funny stuff to say about politics, and our generation and shit. Enjoy.)

There have been a few notable deaths throughout history. Roman emperor Valens was killed at the battle of Adrianople (August 8, 378) in modern day Turkey by the Goths. British Admiral Horatio Nelson was the head of the British Navy and probably the most influential Naval leader of all time. He was killed in the battle of Trafalger in 1805. Admiral Yamamoto, the head of the Japanese Navy, was killed when his plane was shot down in the south pacific during WWII.

Notable U.S. Combat Fatalities:

Col. Davy Crockett was killed at the Alamo. He was a former congressman and famous frontier hunter and Indian fighter.

General George Custer was killed along with all of his men at the battle of the Little Big Horn in Dakota Territory in 1876.

Three Union Generals, Major-General John F. Reynolds, Brig.-General Stephen W. Weed, and Brevet Major-General S. K. Zook were all killed at the battle of Gettysburg.

General Lesley James McNair was killed July 25, 1944 near St Lo, France by friendly fire during a pre-attack bombardment.

Admiral Isaac Kidd was killed aboard the U.S.S. Arizona during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr was killed during the closing days of the Battle of Okinowa by enemy artillery fire.

Major General Maurice Rose was killed in Germany during WWII. He was the highest ranked Jewish officer in U.S. history, and his 3^rd armored Division was the first U.S. division to cross the Siegfried line into Germany.

General Keith Lincoln Ware was the Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division. He was killed in a helicopter crash near the Cambodian border during the Vietnam War.

Fourteen Americans were killed in combat in five events, most in Baghdad, in a 48-hour period ending yesterday, the US military announced.

Now don’t get upset, folks, nothing to worry about. Remember, Little Georgie said things would get bloody over there as we made progress, so we must be making pretty good progress, don’t ya think?

We should feel cheered when American soldiers and Iraqi civilians and women and children are slaughtered. It means things are getting oh so much better. Little Georgie says so from his nice, safe perch in the White House.

Hell, I think things would be even better were he to get a nice perch in The Hague.

And golly gee, those seven kids we murdered in Afghanistan last week must be proof of how well that war is going, hey? Yowsah, yowsah, yowsah!