Eight UK soldiers killed on same day in Afghanistan
Eight soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan yesterday
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Saturday, 11, Jul 2009 05:11
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the deaths of eight British soldiers in a single day of fighting in Afghanistan.
The deaths yesterday took the total casualties in the country to 184, five more than the 179 personnel killed in Iraq.
All the deaths occurred in the country's southern Helmand province where US, Afghan and British forces are currently participating in Operation Panchai Palang (Panther's Claw) to confront the Taliban in the city of Lashkar Gah.
In the first of three separate announcements, the MoD said five soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles lost their lives on patrol in two separate explosions in Sangin, Helmand province.
In a separate announcement, the MoD confirmed that another soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment had been killed during a deliberate explosion near Nad-e-Ali.
Two other servicemen from 4th Battalion The Rifles and the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment died in separate incidents in Nad-e-Ali. One of the soldiers, who was on a foot patrol of the area, lost his life in a contact explosion while the other was shot during fighting in the province.
Speaking to the BBC, Britain's Chief of Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup said it was important to remember the reasons why British soldiers were fighting in Afghanistan, adding that it helped ensure security in the UK.
Mr Stirrup said: "The mission in Afghanistan is about supporting the delivery of governance in order to reduce the opportunities for extremist terrorist groups who are a direct threat to the United Kingdom, its citizens and their interests.
"It's very clear to everyone who has visited Helmand in particular over the last three years that where we provide the necessary degree of security for its citizens real governance is starting to emerge."