Body armour 'would have saved' UK soldier
Body armour 'would have saved' UK soldier
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Monday, 31, Jul 2006 08:59
The death of a British soldier killed by friendly fire at a vehicle checkpoint in Iraq would have been averted if he had not had his body armour withdrawn four days previously, a report has concluded.
Sergeant Steve Roberts was hit by friendly fire from his own 2nd Royal Tank Regiment after an Iraqi man attacked him with stones at the checkpoint at Az Zubayr, north of Basra, in the early hours of March 24th 2003.
The 33-year-old soldier and Zaher Zaher died as a result of machinegun fire from the UK soldiers, but Sgt Roberts would have survived if equipment shortages had not forced him to hand over his enhanced combat body armour (ECBA) on March 20th 2003, two days before the Iraq invasion had even begun.
Today's Board of Inquiry report said: "Had Sgt Roberts been wearing correctly fitting and fitted ECBA when this incident unfolded, he would not have been fatally injured by the rounds that struck him."
Although the Ministry of Defence has pledged to "ensure similar circumstances do not occur", the government is bracing itself for a backlash after the report suggested that ministers were reluctant to mass-order supplies of ECBA because they did not want the UK to be viewed as stockpiling armaments prior to the Iraqi invasion.
In response to today's report, Des Browne, the defence secretary, expressed his "heartfelt regret" over the Sgt Robert's death and passed on his sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues.
"Hopefully the release of the Board of Inquiry today answers their outstanding questions and helps them to understand a little better the events of that awful day," he said.
Sgt Roberts' widow, Samantha, had indicated she will make a statement regarding today's report through her solicitor later this week on Thursday.