Afghanistan

Fusilier Shaun Bush dies of wounds sustained in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Fusilier Shaun Bush from 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers died at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Selly Oak, on Tuesday 25 August 2009.

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Bad Medicine: Michael Yon

24 August 2009
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

The British soldiers of 2 Rifles had a mission: clear and hold Pharmacy Road.

FOB Jackson is currently home to Battlegroup headquarters for 2 Rifles. The area around the river is called the “Green Zone,” but just as appropriately could be called the Opium Zone. During season, the area is covered with colorful poppies, whose 2009 products are probably showing up by now on the streets in Europe.

European money flows back here and buys fertilizer in the Sangin Market, which can be used to make bombs, produce more opium, get more money and make more bombs and grow more opium and make more money and bombs and grow more opium. Sangin is at once an ATM and weapons bazaar for the enemy. Nearly all fatalities in this unit have been caused by fertilizer bombs. The decision to mostly ignore the drug dealers has been a strategic blunder.

Click here to read more from acclaimed military blogger Michael Yon's latest dispatch: Bad Medicine

FCO - 25 Aug: Setting the record straight in the USA

Simon Shercliff, First Secretary for Foreign Security and Policy at our British Embassy in Washington, recently wrote a letter to the editor of US publication World Politics Review setting the record straight on articles in the US press that wrongly suggested that the current debate in the UK reflected poorly on the UK’s commitment to Afghanistan.

He said:

“No one can doubt the UK’s commitment to this mission. This is an international mission to which the UK is second largest troop contributor and second largest bilateral donor to Afghanistan.”

Read the full letter

ISAF limits operations on Afghan election day

Following the call from the Government of Afghanistan for a day of peace during today's elections in the country, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has limited offensive operations for the day.

The presidential and provincial council elections taking place across Afghanistan today, Thursday 20 August 2009, are the first Afghan-led elections in over 30 years. They represent a key moment as the Afghan authorities take increasing responsibility for their own governance, security and development.

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Top British Commander in Afghanistan speaks about minimising civilian casualties

General James Dutton, the UK's top Commander in Afghanistan, spoke to the British media last night about minimising civilian casualties in the country and whether extra British troops are needed there.

Based in Kabul, General Dutton is NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission's Deputy Commander in Afghanistan. Speaking to Channel 4 news yesterday, Wednesday 19 August 2009, about reducing civilian casualties during NATO operations in Afghanistan.

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FCO: Elections are next milestone towards more prosperous and stable Afghanistan

20 August 2009:

Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, welcomed today's elections in Afghanistan and paid tribute to the 'courage and professionalism of our own forces in all they have done to support this effort'.

Continues on: http://www.fco.gov.uk - Elections are next milestone towards more prosperous and stable Afghanistan

FCO: Lisa Bandari, First Secretary Political Kabul - Afghanistan Elections: Polling Day

Thursday 20 August 2009:

I've just returned from a visit with the Ambassador to a polling centre in an Ismaili religious compound in Taimani, an area of Kabul, feeling exhilarated. The polling centre was busy. There were long queues outside the male and female stations, and searches before they were allowed to enter. As ever, I was flattered when the policeman on the gate mistook me for the interpreter, but tried to remember the Dari for 'international observer', as I wasn’t sure he could read the card I handed him.

Continues on: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/ - Afghanistan Elections: Polling Day

YON: Do Americans Care about British Soldiers?

19 August 2009
Helmand province, Afghanistan

A gunshot ripped through the darkness and a young British soldier fell dying on FOB Jackson.  I was just nearby talking on the satellite phone and saw the commotion.  The soldier was taken to the medical tent and a helicopter lifted him to the excellent trauma center at Camp Bastion.  That he made it to Camp Bastion alive dramatically improved his chances.  But his life teetered and was in danger of slipping away.  Making matters worse, the British medical system back in the United Kingdom did not possess the specialized gear needed to save his life.  Americans had the right gear in Germany, and so the British soldier was put into the American system.

British officers in his unit, 2 RIFLES, wanted to track their man every step of the way, and to ensure that his family was informed and supported in this time of high stress...

Click here to read more from acclaimed military blogger Michael Yon's latest dispatch: Do Americans Care about British Soldiers?

Targeting Afghans, not 'the enemy'

Ben Anderson reports for BBC News from southern Helmand province.

"By wintertime, the Taliban are going to be on their heels, sitting in Pakistan, wondering what to do next. And we'll have the people," Marine Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christian Cabaniss told me.

"Once the people decide they won't tolerate the Taliban's presence, there's no way they can stay."

Last month he arrived with the 4,000 marines from 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Southern Helmand, Afghanistan's most violent province for Operation Khanjar.

Their mission - the first major military operation ordered by President Barack Obama - was to oust the Taliban and then stay in every area cleared to win the trust of the local population ahead of the presidential elections.

VIDEO: Targeting Afghans, not the enemy

Continues at: news.bbc.co.uk - Targeting Afghans, not 'the enemy'

Kabul hit by deadly pre-poll attack

John Simpson reports for BBC News from Kabul.

A suicide car bomber has killed 10 people in an attack on a convoy of Western troops in the Afghan capital.

A Nato soldier and nine Afghans, including two UN staff, died in the explosion, which injured more than 50.

Militants have threatened to disrupt Thursday's presidential election.

VIDEO: Kabul hit by deadly pre-poll attack

Continues at: news.bbc.co.uk - Deadly pre-poll attack hits Kabul

Gen Sir Richard Dannatt: 'We need 24 hour surveillance in Afghanistan'

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Army, has called for more resources in Afghanistan after the Government admitted key staff shortages are undermining operations to protect troops from roadside bombs. James Kirkup reports for The Daily Telegraph.

Deaths and injuries caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are mounting and the Ministry of Defence has admitted that it does not have enough specialist surveillance personnel to monitor potential bomb attacks.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, said that British forces cannot currently operate 24-hour surveillance in the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan, and called on ministers to improve coverage.

Continues at: telegraph.co.uk - Gen Sir Richard Dannatt: 'We need 24 hour surveillance in Afghanistan'

IN PICTURES: 8km convoy resupplies troops in Helmand

A convoy stretching for eight kilometres and consisting of more than one hundred UK, US and Afghan National Army vehicles set off recently to resupply coalition bases in northern Helmand.

The 116-vehicle convoy, one of the biggest to ever leave Camp Bastion, was travelling a dangerous 70km to bases in the Sangin Valley via the outskirts of Gereshk and then off-road through open desert.

Captain Gareth Lowe, the Operations Officer for Camp Bastion's Close Support Logistic Regiment, said:

"We're going to fight these vehicles through no matter what the enemy throw at us."

Combat Logistic Patrols such as this supply all of the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and Patrol Bases across the province with medical supplies, food, water, ammunition and morale-boosting mail.

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Bomb disposal hero's colleagues teach Afghans about IED threat

The colleagues of a British bomb disposal expert who was recently killed in Helmand have been teaching locals how to deal with the deadly bomb threat they face on a daily basis.

28-year-old Captain Daniel Shepherd from the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (JFEOD) Group died in an explosion while trying to defuse a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) in Nad e-Ali last month.

During the high intensity conflict of Operation PANTHER'S CLAW, Captain Shepherd defused a staggering 13 devices in just 36 hours, undoubtedly saving the lives of local nationals and his military colleagues.

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Helmand Governor: British troops give us hope

The Governor of Helmand, Gulab Mangal, has issued condolences on behalf of the people of his province expressing their grief at the losses sustained by British forces in Afghanistan.

In his statement Governor Mangal expressed the gratitude of the people of Helmand for the sacrifices British troops continue to make on their behalf.

He said:

"Once again, we in Helmand have sad cause to remember the debt we owe to the men and women of the British Army and the people of the United Kingdom. The lives of all your brave soldiers are precious to us and we grieve at your loss.

"We are grateful beyond words for the sacrifices you make on our behalf. You deliver us from the enemies of peace, and you give us hope that our future will be better from the fear, suffering and oppression of our past.

"I believe with all my heart that the legacy of your courage will be a stable Afghanistan and a safer world."

Lance Corporal James Fullarton, Fusilier Simon Annis and Fusilier Louis Carter killed in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Lance Corporal James Fullarton, Fusilier Simon Annis and Fusilier Louis Carter, all of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2 RRF), were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday 16 August 2009.

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Sergeant Simon Valentine killed in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Sergeant Simon Valentine of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday 15 August 2009.

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Private Richard Hunt dies of wounds sustained in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Private Richard Hunt from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh died at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Selly Oak on Saturday 15 August 2009 from wounds sustained in Helmand province two days previously.

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YON: The Kopp-Etchells Effect

17 August 2009
Sangin, Afghanistan

The roads are so littered with enemy bombs that nearly all transport and resupply to this base occurs by helicopter.  The pilots roar through the darkness, swoop into small bases nestled in the saddle of enemy territory, and quickly rumble off into the night.

A witness must spend only a short time in the darkness to know we are at war. Flares arc into the night, or mortar illumination rounds drift and swing under parachutes, orange and eerily in the distance, casting long, flickering but sharply defined shadows.  The worst that can happen is that you will be caught in an open field, covered by nothing and concealed only by darkness, when the illumination suddenly bathes you in light.  Best is to stay low and freeze and prepare to fire, or in the case of a writer, to stay low and freeze and prepare to watch the firing.

Click here to read more from acclaimed military blogger Michael Yon's latest dispatch: The Kopp-Etchells Effect

Interview: General Sir Richard Dannatt

As the British army's death toll in Afghanistan reaches 204, General Sir Richard Dannatt talks to Channel 4 News' Krishnan Guru-Murthy about operations in the country.

Click here for the full report from Channel 4 News.

Talk to Taliban, Miliband urges

David Miliband has urged the Afghan government to talk to moderate members of the Taliban as part of efforts to bring stability to the country.

In a speech to Nato, the UK foreign secretary said those insurgents willing to renounce violence should be included in a broad-based political coalition.

His comments came as it was confirmed the first phase of the UK-US offensive in southern Afghanistan has now ended.

The Tories said ministers must focus on a limited number of clear objectives.

Continues at: news.bbc.co.uk - Talk to Taliban, Miliband urges