TWO soldiers died after coming under enemy fire in Afghanistan yesterday, in what was the Parachute Regiment's biggest loss of life in a week since the Falklands conflict.
The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment lost three men in a suicide bomb attack earlier this week. And the latest deaths brought the number of British troops killed since the campaign began in 2001 to 102.
The soldiers, who are expected to be n
amed today, were on a routine foot patrol near their base in the Upper Gereshk Valley when they were attacked.
A third soldier was wounded and is receiving treatment. All next of kin have been informed.
An MoD spokesman said: "It is with deep regret that the MoD must confirm that two British soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment were killed today in Afghanistan.
"They were conducting a routine foot patrol in the vicinity of their base at Forward Operating Base Gibraltar in the Upper Gereshk Valley when they came under enemy fire, tragically killing two of the patrol party.
"A third soldier was also injured in the incident. They were evacuated to Camp Bastion medical facility where the injured soldier is receiving treatment for his wounds.
"The soldiers' next of kin have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period of grace before further details are released."
Private Nathan Cuthbertson, 19, Private Daniel Gamble, 22, and Private Charles David Murray, 19 were killed in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. Their deaths marked the grim milestone of 100 fatalities in the Afghan theatre.
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, paid tribute to the bravery of British troops, saying: "The risks they bear and the sacrifices they make should be in our thoughts, not just today but every day.
"They have paid the ultimate price, but they have achieved something of lasting value."
Of the 102 British troops killed in Afghanistan since operations began in October 2001, 76 have died as a result of hostile action. The remaining 26 died from illness, accidents, non-combat injuries, or have not yet been formally assigned a cause of death.
The youngest victim was Private Ben Ford, 18, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and the oldest father-of-five Senior Aircraftsman Gary Thompson, 51, from Nottingham.
The single worst incident happened in 2006, when 16 servicemen were killed as their ageing Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashed.
Deaths stun garrison townTHE fatalities suffered by 2 Para have rocked the regiment's garrison town of Colchester, Essex, with the local MP describing the latest losses as "absolutely devastating".
Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP, said: "We in Colchester have tremendous pride in our soldiers. We regard them as our own soldiers, despite them coming from different areas of the country. Our thoughts go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones."
Mr Russell said the soldiers had not died in vain. He explained: "I have been with the chairman of the Helmand provincial council in parliament. He expressed condolences for the three soldiers who died earlier this week and wanted people in this country to know that the vast majority in Afghanistan value what our troops are doing.
"Without them, the Afghan people would not get their own independent army or police force. And the only future they have is to rid Afghanistan of the Taleban."
The full article contains 561 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
