Bodies of four troops repatriated

Jul 22 2010

A plane carrying the bodies of four British servicemen killed in Afghanistan has landed in Britain, 24 hours after the news that two other soldiers had died there.

The soldiers, one from The Royal Dragoon Guards and the other from 1st Battalion Scots Guards, were killed by small arms fire, while trying to rescue a wounded colleague, a spokesman said. Their families have been told.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said: "It is with great sadness I must inform you that a soldier from The Royal Dragoon Guards and a soldier from 1st Battalion Scots Guards were killed this evening in Lashkar Gah District, Helmand Province.

"The soldiers were part of a cordon operation providing security for a routine rotation of troops when they were killed by small arms fire.

"In the courageous and selfless act of attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded. They died helping their friends. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will remember them."

Meanwhile, the bodies of four men killed last week were returned to the UK.

Staff Sergeant Brett Linley, 29, of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, and Sergeant David Monkhouse, a 35-year-old member of the Royal Dragoon Guards, both died on Saturday.

Their deaths followed those of Senior Aircraftman Kinikki Griffiths, 20, 1 Squadron RAF Regiment, and Marine Jonathan Crookes, 26, of 40 Commando Royal Marines, who died the previous day.

Bomb disposal expert S/Sgt Linley died while trying to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Nahr-e-Saraj, and Marine Crookes, from Halesowen, West Midlands, died while on foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province.

Sgt Monkhouse was remembered as a devoted father and "exceptional" soldier, and a separate blast in the district took the life of Senior Aircraftman Griffiths.