British military death toll in Afghanistan higher than in Iraq

Saturday 11th July, 06:45 AM JST

LONDON —

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Friday of a “very hard summer” in Afghanistan after eight soldiers were killed within 24 hours, taking the British military death toll higher than in Iraq.

The spike in fatalities mean Britain has now lost 184 troops in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001—surpassing the 179 killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Speaking at the Group of Eight summit in L’Aquila, central Italy as the death toll reached 15 within 10 days, Brown said it was vital the international community maintained its commitment to bring stability to Afghanistan.

Britain’s death toll has increased sharply since its forces launched a major airborne assault, codenamed Operation Panther’s Claw, three weeks ago against a Taliban stronghold near Gereshk in the strife-torn southern Helmand province.

Attacks by extremists have also been rising ahead of elections in Afghanistan next month.

Brown sent his condolences to the families of the dead soldiers, but said Britain and its allies in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force must stick to their mission.

“This is a very hard summer, it’s not over but it’s vital that the international community sees through its commitment,” Brown said. “There’s a recognition that this is a task that the world has got to accept together.”

Britain’s “resolution to complete the work that we have started in Afghanistan and Pakistan is undiminished,” Brown added.

In the latest deaths to hit the 8,300 British troops in the country, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said five soldiers from The 2nd Battalion The Rifles were killed Friday in two separate explosions while on the same patrol near Sangin in the troubled southern Helmand Province.

Meanwhile, a soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was killed in an explosion near Nad Ali in central Helmand.

It was announced earlier Friday that a soldier from the 4th Battalion The Rifles was killed Thursday in a “contact explosion” while on a foot patrol in Helmand.

The MoD also announced that a soldier from the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died Thursday in a gun battle with insurgents near Lashkar Gah in Helmand.

The attack in which five soldiers died was one of the worst single incidents in terms of British casualties since the start of operations in Afghanistan.

Four soldiers were killed in a blast in June 2008, and 14 people died in the Nimrod aircraft crash in 2006.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “These fine British soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice and their memory will live with us forever…. We know that their deaths were not in vain.”

The human cost of the operation was underlined when the bodies of five soldiers were flown home to Britain on Friday. Four were killed while taking part in Panther’s Claw and one of the dead, Private Robbie Laws, was just 18.

The men killed since the start of July also include the highest-ranking British soldier to die in action since the 1982 Falklands War, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe.

Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said of the British soldiers serving in Afghanistan: “They know that they have to take risks, they take that risk on our behalf, they’ve been making progress.

“Sadly we’ve had some people killed, some brave people and we must never forget them,” he told ITV television.

In an unusual breach of the cross-party consensus on the conflict, Nick Clegg, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, warned this week that soldiers’ lives were being “thrown away” in Afghanistan.

Clegg said politicians were setting the troops impossible goals.

Wire reports

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11 Comments

bushlover at 11:56 AM JST - 11th July

[In an unusual breach of the cross-party consensus on the conflict, Nick Clegg, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, warned this week that soldiers’ lives were being “thrown away” in Afghanistan.]

What this dikhead doesn't get is that these soldiers know and accepted the risk. While sad as it is that they die it is also imperative of their mission that because of a setback they give up their mission looking like a total failure. This would be the biggest insult to those that risked and lost the gamble. In contrast to this Clegg whiner, Brits everywhere should be proud of these men and remember them every Nov. 11th. It's the best thing to do. Do we doubt the men that went to mainland Europe in June 44? What kind of defeatist do you want us to be?
bushlover at 11:57 AM JST - 11th July

Sorry I meant that it's imperative of their mission that they don't give up the mission due to some setbacks. This would be the waste of their lives.
northlondon at 01:56 PM JST - 11th July

Totally agree with bushlovers comments about the professional job that the British Army do in Afghanistan. The British Army have always been assigned to do the dirty work in conflicts such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait etc. These are professional soldiers who do not complain where they are sent and they just get on with doing a good job.

However, the point where I may disagree is that our soldiers are getting killed and injured because of a stubborn political stand. Do we really need to fight the Taleban in Afghanistan ? Afghanistan is their country after all and we no nothing about the religious culture and the terrain. The Taleban should be engaged in Pakistan, but Pakistan have a capable military of their own. bushlovers comments about not walking away from the reason why these soldiers have been killed may well bear some reasonance, but does that mean that our good soldiers have to continue to get killed with no debate about why we are in Afghanistan in the first place ?

These soldiers will continue to be sitting ducks because the Taleban engage cheap tactics leaving roadside bombs and sniping and vanishing. They do not come out and fight face to face. The politicians need to take this on board when putting our soldiers at risk.
Scrote at 02:42 PM JST - 11th July

I wonder why British soldiers are dying to help support a misogynistic, illiberal government from being overthrown by a bunch of misogynistic, illiberal, bearded half-wits.

Let's also not forget that the British government has refused to buy adequate equipment for their army and this tight-fistedness is costing lives.

I would like to see all foreign troops withdrawn from Afghanistan and the beards left to fight amongst themselves. We will get no gratitude from the Afghanis for meddling in their affairs, so let's leave them to it.
bobobolinski at 07:56 PM JST - 11th July

It's all very well for Mr Brown and his supporters to bluster on about being committed to finishing the task and sticking with it until the end of the mission. But what is the mission? Perhaps Mr Brown, as Mr Blair before him should have, might inform the British public what exactly the mission is and what it will look like when it is finished. Or maybe they don't want to publicize the fact that the western military forces are going to have to be in Afghanistan permanently, with the current rate of death and destruction a minimal level of what will happen in the coming years.
Noliving at 08:34 PM JST - 11th July

One could say yes you do need to stay and fight in afghanistan because the taleban will allow AQ to setup shop again in afghanistan.
bobobolinski at 08:51 PM JST - 11th July

And since that will be more or less a permanent problem, then we (US, Britain, et al) are there permanently.
bushlover at 12:27 AM JST - 12th July

Possibly yes. That is why we need to defend countries from being hijacked by terror groups to spread their jihad on others and their own populations. Ask an Afgahni if they would prefer the Taliban to come back to power. I bet there aren't that many that would support them.
DickMorris at 02:56 AM JST - 12th July

The large amount of British deaths have occured because of Obama's wish to attck strongly the Taliban whilst at the same time appease the Iraqi's.

More deaths will occur and both countries will fall into anarchy because of our presidents terrible decision making.

May the British heroes rest in peace.
tigris at 10:19 AM JST - 12th July

These soldiers will continue to be sitting ducks because the Taleban engage cheap tactics leaving roadside bombs and sniping and vanishing. They do not come out and fight face to face.

So what do you call carpet and cluster bombing a country without airforce or air defense? The use of drones? Heroic? Face to face?
cleo at 10:40 AM JST - 12th July

So what do you call carpet and cluster bombing a country without airforce or air defense? The use of drones? Heroic? Face to face?

That's different. That's us using our superior technology, more proof that we're intrinsically better than they are. We would respect them as worthy adversaries if they would come out and throw themselves on our bayonets, but since they're too cowardly to do that we're forced to use cluster bombs and drones. They make us do it.