Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Three soldiers killed in Helmand 'friendly fire'

Pa
Friday 24 August 2007 12:15 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Three British soldiers have been killed and two injured in an apparent friendly fire incident in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said today.

The soldiers, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, were taking part in a patrol north-west of Kajaki, Helmand Province, at about 6.30pm local time yesterday.

It is believed they were killed by a bomb dropped from a US F15 aircraft to repel Taliban insurgents.

The soldiers' next of kin have been informed, the MoD said.

The patrol was intended to disrupt Taliban activity and reassure local residents.

The soldiers called in close air support from two US F15s after coming under intense attack from insurgents.

The MoD said: "One bomb was dropped and it is believed the explosion killed the three soldiers.

"The three soldiers were declared dead at the scene. The injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the medical facility at Camp Bastion for treatment.

"The events surrounding the incident are subject to an investigation."

The deaths take the number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001 to 73.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in