Two soldiers die in Afghanistan
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Your support makes all the difference.Two British soldiers serving in Afghanistan have died in separate incidents, the Ministry of Defence said today.
The first serviceman, from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, was injured in a helicopter incident at a patrol base in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Tuesday.
He was flown back to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where he died yesterday surrounded by his family.
Major Ronnie Goodwin, officer commanding the rear operations group of 1 Mercian, said: "He gave his life trying to improve the lives of people in Helmand by providing much needed reassurance and security.
"Our thoughts are with his family and close friends at this difficult time. He will be missed and remembered by all ranks of The 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire)."
The second soldier, from 21 Engineer Regiment, died today after being shot in the Sangin District of Helmand. His next of kin have been informed.
It is understood that the first soldier, who was serving with Gurkha Reinforcement Company, was injured when a Chinook helicopter crashed at his base.
During a night-time resupply mission the aircraft's rotor blades hit a lookout tower and knocked down a wall next to where he was sleeping, The Sun reported yesterday.
The soldier's comrades dug through the rubble for more than half an hour to free him, the paper said.
Referring to the second death, Lieutenant Colonel David Southall, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said of the victim: "He was shot by small arms fire whilst supporting the 40 Commando Royal Marines battle group.
"He died a sapper, doing his duty amongst his comrades as he sought to improve security for the people of Afghanistan. His courage and sacrifice will not be forgotten."
Another British soldier from 1 Mercian died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Wednesday evening after being wounded on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district on July 13.
The British death toll in the Afghan campaign since 2001 now stands at 330.
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