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Subscribe to RSSLASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan -- Six British soldiers were feared killed after an explosion hit their armored vehicle in southwestern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. If confirmed, it would be the biggest loss of life for British forces in the country since a plane crash in 2006.
The soldiers were on patrol in Helmand province at the time of the blast on Tuesday evening. The military did not explain why they were unable to confirm whether the soldiers were killed.
Their deaths would take the overall tally of British forces killed in Afghanistan to 404 since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban.
The soldiers, five from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and one from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, were on a mounted patrol on Tuesday when their Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle was struck, the ministry said.
In Helmand, a spokesman for the British Task Force said the families of the British soldiers have been informed.
Qais Usyan / AFP - Getty Images
More than a decade after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
Sky News reported that it was the first time a British Warrior vehicle had been destroyed in Afghanistan. A second Warrior was reportedly traveling in a convoy with the one destroyed but it was not hit by the explosion, Sky said.
"I utterly condemn those responsible for this incident who will ultimately fail to derail a mission that is protecting our national security at home and making real progress in Helmand Province," Britain's defense secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement. "It is because of the continuing efforts of our armed forces ... that we are on course to build an Afghanistan that can stand on its own two feet when UK combat operations cease at the end of 2014."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "a desperately sad day for our country."
Britain cutting forces in Afghanistan
Britain has some 9,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, a number due to be reduced in phases as it ends combat operations in the next two years.
"I don't think soldiers see these round numbers, psychological milestones," said a senior British military source in Helmand, referring to the fact that the number of British deaths in the Afghan war had exceeded 400.
"It's disappointing to have this at the end of the tour but at this stage in the tour with how much progress we've made, we're able to contextualize this."
Obama: US not staying in Afghanistan longer than necessary
Britain has lost more troops in Afghanistan than any other country except for the United States, which has counted at least 1,780 members deaths as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. The AP count of U.S. deaths is six fewer than the Defense Department's tally. At least 1,484 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
More than 2,800 troops from all nations have died since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2001. There are about 130,000 troops from 50 countries serving with the international military coalition.
President Barack Obama says NATO will lay out benchmarks for a "peaceful transition" and that "challenges in that environment" are an indication that "now is the time for us to transition."
The United States has been slowly drawing down its troops presence from a high of about 100,000 in 2011 to 68,000 at the end of summer.
Britain has the largest contingent in the international force and says it will withdraw several hundred this year and almost all of them by the end of 2014. It is followed by Germany, with about 4,800, and France with 3,600 soldiers.
The NATO-led international force in Afghanistan has been steadily handing over responsibility for security to the Afghan army and police. All foreign combat troops will have left Afghanistan at the end of 2014. Some troops may remain in a counterterrorism and training role after that date.
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Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-38654-5-NATO-soldiers-killed-in-border-area. The NATO soldiers were among 17 killed and 20 injured in a suicide bomber attack on a NATO convoy in an Afghan town of Spin Boldak near Pakistani border. Chaman border has been sealed for all traffic after the attack.
An add-on . The 6 British soldiers went missing on a patrol in Helmand Province when their armoured vehicle was hit. The Chaman border suicide bomber is a different attack. 404 British soldiers have died so far in Afghanistan since October 2001.
What the........What if their armored vehicle was loaded with a stack of Korans? Would it still have been blown up?
A sign on the side saying "This Vehicle Is Full of Copies of The Quaran!"
Yeah, NATO forces should start armoring their vehicles with copies of the Koran.
Okay, so, they haven't even confirmed these 6 were dead, yet they already notified the families? WTF???
LMAO, great story, protecting your national security, by invading a foreign country?
While blowing mosques in the battles between Shiites and Sunnis, they are least bothered whether Quran is there or not.
So infidels signs: "have Qurans" or any other wording will not have much effect.
Remind me why we are in Afghanistan again?
go play with yourself left-handed. Obama out in 2012
I thought Obama's apology was supposed to stop the waters from rising?
LOL
He uses his left hand so it feels like a stranger.
Yeah, that was another of his wonderful blunders. Obama gone in 2012. A hamster would probably do a better job at POTUS then the current schmuck.
if Obama lose this November, we will be in Iran too fighing a new war for Isreal.
Rational Brent - I hate to bust your bubble. The people Afghanistan has suffered so much because of the foreign invasion starting with the USSR for 20 years and now US and NATO for 10 years - an apology from US president after destroying their country back to the stone ages, doesn't carry much water.
Remember, how many stray bombs and drone missiles have landed on Afghan wedding parties in the last 10 years. Do you want them to forget about all those innocent lives lost? Just think, Obama and all the dead US presidents can apologize for the eternity, but that will not bring a single dead Afghan back. Those families who lost their loved ones will never take US and NATO as their friend or Messiah.
Fixed it for you!
Everything keeps going just swimmingly in Afghan-land!
I don't care if you are a liberal lefty or a conservative righty. If you don't know why we are in Afghanistan by now, you are neither left nor right, you are an idiot.
There is the question as to when will the right time to leave be. It is when our civilians, our airlines, our monumental architecture, our infrastructure is safe from terrorist attacks. That will only happen when the Taliban stops obeying the literal word of thier bellicose holy book.
I think I'd rather see Obama than Ron Paul...ew.
Bob,
We're in Afghanistan to remove a safe haven for Al Qaeda. That's pretty much accomplished there. Now, of course, they've spread to Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, ...
I think we all know the Taliban will reconstitute their control of Afghanistan once we leave. Be it in 2 years, 10 years, 100 years. Nation building doesn't work in that part of the world.
Can some explain why we were in Iraq with wars in 1991 and 2003?
If politicians can't solve the problems at home, then go to wars!
So Iran's nukes and Syria's human rights issues have to set right soon!
It is time for everyone to leave that $hithole country and let THEM kill themselves. As Muslims always do.
Right on .Bring our troops home and lock down the borders, no-one out and if someone wants in thats where they stay.
"Britain has the largest contingent in the international force and says it will withdraw several hundred this year and almost all of them by the end of 2014. It is followed by Germany, with about 4,800, and France with 3,600 soldiers."
What's the matter, Canada doesn't count ? We have roughly 1540 troops in country now. And we had 2,500 in 2006 there. And were given Kandahar Province to patrol. A nasty one. And 154 have died so far, plus 4 Canadian civilians, one of which was a diplomat. Including a friendly fire incident where US Air Force Bombed one of our patrols, killing 6. But not one mention of Canada in this article. Canada needs to stop supporting the US in it's wars. We get no respect from the US. Hell we cant even get a mention in an article about troops dying in Afghanistan. Bring our troops home now !!!
@JJ1962
And exactly who or what is Canada? Never heard of them.
:p
@JJ.... This is a left leaning biased news source that trolls other news sources for articals that fit their agenda.
JJ1962 post 4
Call Mr. Obama at the White House. If you tell him of your concerns he will hold a dinner to honor all Canadians. He loves these weekly dinners.
So JJ1962 - I hope by now you know now who your real friends are. A real friend does not invite you in an endless war that require open ended commitment of precious lives, the ultimate sacrifice. Its time that Canada learned its lessons and pulled out of this stupid quagmire...
Ohhhh, nooo - another war is coming with Iran, I hope Canada is ready to pitch in to save Israel's a$$es.
Obama would be glad to apologize for ths oversight.
But seriously, as an American, I do appreciate Canada's support and sacrifice for this war effort, whether or not you think we should still be there.
GWB to the British, "Okay folks, nothing to see here. Like I told the US, go shopping."
Get them out of that hell hole!
There is only one way to handle this situation and no politician has spoken of it yet. Coward Parliament! Coward Congress!
Where is your common sense! Is this stupidity what makes kings of the earth? Is that what my ancestors did during times of great military accomplishments?
Not in the slightest! They would NEVER risk so many of their soldiers on such idiocy as this! They would never risk the cost to their kingdom. What FOOLS you are!
Being picked off a few at a time! Morons you are!
How DARE you all toss our young military soldiers into harm's way as if they are worthless bomb-sniffing dogs!
How DARE you cause them to be deliberately placed in harm's way in UN-DECLARED WARS!
Get them OUT of that stinkhole! Bring them back to the safety of their nations!
Those that ignore their young lives.
What do you think the human race can survive with only old men?
American delivers justice and freedom through its bombs.
Mackie 47**** - Why only old men? Don't forget the 55,000 US soldiers with injuries whose lives have changed for ever not by their own fault, rather the uncsupulous politicans who pushed them to the flood-gate of two wars.
Wait! another war is coming - I hear the drum-bit getting louder and louder everyday... If a Redumblican president was in the Whitehouse, Iran war would have started in December... Wouldn't that be fun? Thant's what every Republican wants... More bloodshed and destruction in order to appease the AIPAC and the Israelis.
It would be interesting to know how many Jews (and filthy rich) are in the miltary, since Israel wants this war started so badly...
Even the locals do not want the US or Britain there, it is time to leave quickly and leave them to their own self inflicting ways. Let Muslims deal with their own way of life, we will always be the bad guy, whether we help them or not, they are never satisfied with what we are doing.
tonypa -
You are so very right -
How would you like it if the Iranians invaded US for 10 years and started changing the way of American lives?
Put yourselves in the shoes of the other person and learns it from their perspectives... This way you would always come out as the winner...
Before and during early stages of wars, most jump: go to wars, we have latest equipment, we have best plans, world is with us and so on.
There are enough scare mongering before too: WMDs, innocent childen women being killed and so on.
So jumps in all directions and screams of all varieties were there before Iraqi and Afghan wars?
Now jumps and screams as in Iraq are: withdraw, not worth it and so on.
New scare and war mongering: Iran and Syria without much variations.
Does it take so much time to learn lessons. McCain should have at least some field experience.
But the biggest jumps with all crazy war cries are from likes of McCain!
It is hard to fathom our leaders in DC when at least 70% of the people posting on the internet want us to remove our troops/civilians from Afghanistan NOW! Not by the end of 2014! Another 10-20% want to level it with nukes. And the last 10-20% make no sense at all when they post. .... The main reason, that is repeated over and over again is that we need to build Afghanistan so it can stand on its own. What about the USA? The UK? France? Germany? Canada? WE don't NEED to build Afghanistan, and if we try we will loose thousands of lives slowly over the next two years! But it will fall to the terrorists. SO WHAT!! They will have WON nothing! There is no war to be WON in Afghanistan! .... (Hey, I got an idea. Lets go ask the Vietnamese if it would be ok to try and rebuild their nation again? Don't we deserve a second chance.) ... Yet what do we get from our leaders? TALK, TALK, and more TALK.
Whatever your thoughts are on why, who and how many this or that country has sent to fight a war you might not believe in are ok. These six along with all the others that have died in this war gave their lives for something they believed in. I pray for their families in this time of loss. Godspeed to all the men and women still serving.
Soldiers are willing to fight, and die if need be for their country, way of life, and the people of their nation. Soldiers don't like to fight for the political B.S., and that is a driving force of a soldiers disgruntalness. Killing people needlessly is no soldiers wish as it's akin to murder. Find out the truth about 911 as first there were no bodies, and aircraft debrie in Shanksvill Pa.. There was a study done on the reported cell phone calls that were made, and it was found that there was only a 1% chance a call could have been made at the cruising altitude. If calls could easly have been made then why are aircraft now being outfitted with cell phone tower type equipment as was reported not to long ago. Secondly, were is the aircraft debrie at the Pentigon, and how did it leave such a hole as it's more like a cruise missle hit it. Why is the Gov. suppressing the survalence video's, and only releasing brief portions of them with none showing the craft. Third, why did the owner of the trade center buy insurrance that covered terrorist attacks just days before 911. Why the rush by the FBI to get rid of the evidence?. Why was nanothermite found in the dust?. Why are most all the guys the Gov. said to have hijacked the planes found to still be alive in other countries?. Do any of you really think the trade center building would have collapsed the way they did if really gave way to a free-fall as claimed?. Some day the truth will be known, however; in the mean time our troops are dieing over B.S..
abnfox-"Whatever your thoughts are on why, who and how many this or that country has sent to fight a war you might not believe in are ok. These six along with all the others that have died in this war gave their lives for something they believed in. I pray for their families in this time of loss. Godspeed to all the men and women still serving."
I totally agree that it is sad and horrible for the families of these soldiers,that died for their country there.But I really don't think they probably "believed in what they were doing". Soldiers are sent to fight by their nations leaders.Its very rare in today's world that issues are clear cut like the war against Hitler was.After 11 years of guerrilla war in Afghanistan.I think most of the soldiers just want to get out of there alive.Thoughts of that,are far more prevalent than dedication to the mission.
Another horrible waste of life of good soldiers from a more civilized progressive society taken by the bowels of society known as Islam. We and those of the UK need to be gone from these waste lands and allow them to sink on their own.
lets keep wasting lives and money on a lost cause . they people will never change it is their culture, they should just be nuked and kill them all so no bloodline survives.
As long as we continue to elect presidents that are bought and payed for such as obama, Romney ect... we will always be beating the war drum. obama seems to think he must take orders from the UN as he never even tried to follow the rules by getting a congressional vote prior to taking military action against Libya. More then likely an awful lot of Americans will be wishing they had voted for Ron Paul after Nov., however; it will be to late. The death and destruction the USA spreads to other countries will eventually find its way back to us. RON PAUL 2012
Fight them there or fight em here, you choose!!
If we allow them to have a safe base of operations they will branch out and attack us at home.. The Muslim cult is sworn at birth to kill the infidels [that's you and me] until we are all gone and Islam rules the world.. All they have to allow is free will to live hard line or not by choice.. If they want to live in the second century let them if not let the person choose..
We should consider massive reprisals as a response because death is all the understand.. Warn them in advance that the crap will hit the fan if they continue then back it up with a flight of B52s loaded with napalm.. It is not the politically correct thing to do but it is the right thing to do.. We know where a bunch of these rotten toothed animals live and they will never stop until they are dead..
Get out of the Afghanistan and the middle east now. Stop all foreign aid and selling military hardware to these Muslim countries. Let them eat snake, dog, and camel sh-t. We need to let these Muslim country know that if we are attacked again that we will destroy their whole country and their koran.
The NA in NATO stands for North Atlantic, not North Afghanistan. Get a geography book and get out of there. The Afghans have been and will be fighting and killing each other for millenia. Intervention is pointless and entirely outside the NATO charter. It is tragic that so many must suffer and die and their families mourn for such a dysfunctional foreign policy.
Those people are blood thirsty animals, they are still living in the 6th centuy. To help them we would have to be there for many generations and maybe that wouldn't work. Get out and let them continue fighting and killing one another.
All the civilized countries of the world should pull every last troop out of that hole today. There is nothing to be won by staying there. Those people don't want us there. Leave now and let them get on with killing each other.
our trops should have nebr ben in any of those musluncountries,,hundreds killed muti billions of our tax money wasted,,in other woeds we worked and paid taxes for nothing,And know we are pulling out ,the muslums who call that country their home ,are still killing americans and british
Re-read the article and every where you see the word Afghanistan substitute Iran. Does the US really want another unfunded endless war? Endless deaths, decades of war, trillions wasted?
That is exactly what the repub candidates are suggesting. Before blindly following party lines in Nov, ask yourself would you like your son or daughter killed in the middle east for a war that is not needed?
Americia should ban all them evil koran books and burn them
Sounds good to me!!, It is a cult handbook anyway.. The Bible is banned in their countries and possession of one can mean death so lets reciprocate.. They also have laws forbidding anyone from spreading the word of peace in it or converting.. If you do, you and your entire family can be put to death.. But Islam is all about peace and love so they say.. We have laws here that pertain to radical cults of subversion so why are they not closing Mosques where subversive and radical thinking are being spread??
We could wipe them from the Earth and divvy up their sand pit between Europe Russia China and ourselves.. They falsely accuse us of doing that already on a daily basis so we could show them what genocide really is..
how moronic can your pres. be as soon as troops leave the crap will start all over again and the people will be punished for trusting the US it has been that way since time began for those people or as I like to say when God kicked mohomads butt and shamed him in front of his people thats when mohomad wrote the koran in anger so his people would kill all infidals,jews,and all non belivers.The koran is not a book of God so it cant be holly it was written by a mad ex employee or as some people call him a profit,I call him a pee-o nut just like your president that thinks he is a god you know God was smart this man is dumband so ugly sleep has to creep up on him.
So the Koran is just like Mien Kompf?? I never thought of it like that but it makes perfect sense.. I think Hitler learned his Jew hatred from the Muslims and may have secretly been one himself.. We know the hard line Islam-o-Fascist's back then hailed him as a great warrior king..
Miers,
Please try and use spell check or read a book or something as your post is embarrassing with it's content and mis-spellings. It is a stellar example of right wing ignorance. I think I'll print this one out and frame it for posterity.
'It is a stellar example of right wing ignorance'? I am a republican, and I want all our troops/civilians removed NOW from Afghanistan! Not stuck there until the end of 2014. You donkeys are chasing a carrot dangling from a stick wagging back and forth in front of your face. Bummer Obama is reminding more of Lyndon 'warmonger' Johnson everyday. Except there is one difference between the two. Warmonger Johnson told the American people 'I shall not seek, nor accept a second term as your president' Why? Because he royally screwed up Vietnam, and had no idea about how to get out. Bummer Obama faces the same dilemma in Afghanistan, yet he continues to beat the drums of war, and blames republicans are the ones making the noise. Jimmy 'peanut farmer' Carter would even have the sense to withdraw NOW. Top five worst presidents in the past 60 years? #1 LBJ, #2 Richard 'tricky dicky' Nixon, and Bummer Obama running just by a neck ahead of #4 Jimmy 'peanut farmer' Carter. All have a good lead on #5 Gerald 'appointed' Ford. So, William, stick that in your spell checker, and remember if you want to reply to a certain poster use your left hoof over the mouse to click on the reply button underneath the post. You donkeys are sure great for entertainment on the internet.
Demetrious,
Thank you for so eloquently making my point for me when it comes to the right wing. You are just so cleaver with the Bummer Obama and comments about the peanut farmer. Did you think those up all by yourself or copy them from someone?
With all that bad President's BS.The one that "actually" got us into these messes,then didn't get us back out was GW Bush. He is still so hated by Americans that the Republicans don't even want him campaigning for them.It would be a kiss of death for any candidate being seen with him.Last night reporters (some of them Republicans) said that if his brother,the successful governor of Florida's last name wasn't Bush,a lot of Republicans would have wanted him to run for President.But the Bush name was a no go.
Watch Jesse Ventura's "Conspiracy Theory" and check youtube for "Wrong Flag Operations" - you will know that the deaths and destruction are created by ....... not to mention the "The Shock Doctrine" also written by a lady in the west.... these people know a lot and wants to share with you all the truth..... The truth shall set you free......
What a waste of lives. This is a perfect example of how the various multinational forces serving in Afghanistan STILL, after 10+ years, don't have enough of the proper equipment that's needed to accomplish the **** job they've been given by civilian leaders who have absolutely no idea what they're doing when it comes to combat operation.
I don't know the exact figures, but the Helmand province has experienced an absurdly high number of IED attacks throughout the illegal occupation of Afghanistan by NATO forces. The reason for this is because the area in question produces more Opium than any other place in the world, including the other 33 provinces in Afghanistan put together. This makes it a vital area for the Taliban to control and it's the reason why so much combat has taken place there. With that in mind, you'd think they would provide the troops with adequate protection from IED's, right? Nope... and all b/c it costs too much. The various countries involved with the illegal occupation have no problem spending billions of dollars (which would've been better spent had they just burned it) trying to rebuild Afghanistan and winning 'hearts and minds'; but god forbid they give the troops serving there enough of the proper equipment that's needed to safely accomplish their objectives.
The FV510 Warrior is similar to the US M2 Bradley fighting vehicle in that it offers zero protection against shaped charges (IED) as a result of the flat bottom and thin armor. It's not that it's a bad vehicle; it's just not meant to provide any protection against the types of explosives that are generally being used for the IED's. So I can't but feel rather infuriated to read about these soldiers out there risking their lives, for what amounts to a lot of nothing, and not being given the proper protection they need to get the job done.
Perhaps now the British will leave the sham "coalition" and leave the US the only ones remaining -- and intensify the pressure to get them the hell out of that wretched land.