08/05/2009
NI Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
It has emerged today that a soldier from Belfast has been killed on active service in troubled Afghanistan.
He was shot and killed while on patrol in the Helmand Province yesterday.
Belfast man Sean Binnie, a soldier from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was patrolling with an Afghan National Army.
The 22-year-old, from the Ravenhill Road area of east Belfast, had just recently married his wife Amanda who is said in today's Belfast Telegraph to be "devastated" by his death.
He was killed during a 'reassurance patrol' with the Afghan National Army in the vicinity of Woqab, close to Musa Qaleh.
While forces in Afghanistan are now operating on a co-operative basis with local troops, since 2001, a total of 155 UK troops have been killed on operations there.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, said: "This is another tragic situation where we all feel this great loss.
"Words mean very little in this extremely sad situation but our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this brave soldier.
"Their pain is our pain and as the years go by we will mourn the loss of this true British hero."
The tragedy comes just days after British forces began leaving southern Iraq.
UK forces handed over the Coalition brigade command in a move which marked the transition from a combat mission to a bilateral relationship with Iraq.
(BMcC/JM)
He was shot and killed while on patrol in the Helmand Province yesterday.
Belfast man Sean Binnie, a soldier from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was patrolling with an Afghan National Army.
The 22-year-old, from the Ravenhill Road area of east Belfast, had just recently married his wife Amanda who is said in today's Belfast Telegraph to be "devastated" by his death.
He was killed during a 'reassurance patrol' with the Afghan National Army in the vicinity of Woqab, close to Musa Qaleh.
While forces in Afghanistan are now operating on a co-operative basis with local troops, since 2001, a total of 155 UK troops have been killed on operations there.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, said: "This is another tragic situation where we all feel this great loss.
"Words mean very little in this extremely sad situation but our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this brave soldier.
"Their pain is our pain and as the years go by we will mourn the loss of this true British hero."
The tragedy comes just days after British forces began leaving southern Iraq.
UK forces handed over the Coalition brigade command in a move which marked the transition from a combat mission to a bilateral relationship with Iraq.
(BMcC/JM)
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Two British servicemen killed in Afghanistan on Saturday have been named by the Ministry of Defence. Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, of the Light Dragoons, from Belfast, and Corporal Stephen Bolger, of 1 Para died in an explosion.
Two Soldiers Die In Afghan Blast
Two British servicemen killed in Afghanistan on Saturday have been named by the Ministry of Defence. Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, of the Light Dragoons, from Belfast, and Corporal Stephen Bolger, of 1 Para died in an explosion.
14 November 2008
Mayo Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
A Co Mayo man fighting in Afghanistan has been killed along with a colleague while serving with British forces. Robert McKibben, 32, from Westport, died alongside a fellow marine after their patrol was hit by an explosion when the vehicle he was travelling in was blasted by an explosive device in Helmand province.
Mayo Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
A Co Mayo man fighting in Afghanistan has been killed along with a colleague while serving with British forces. Robert McKibben, 32, from Westport, died alongside a fellow marine after their patrol was hit by an explosion when the vehicle he was travelling in was blasted by an explosive device in Helmand province.
19 June 2012
Council Asked To Fly Armed Forces Flag
The Ministry of Defence has asked Belfast City Council to fly a flag for a full week to mark Armed Forces Day. But the letter has arrived too late to be discussed by the full council and in the past, there has been no consensus between political parties on whether or not to fly it. Armed Forces Day, now in its fourth year, is on Saturday June 30.
Council Asked To Fly Armed Forces Flag
The Ministry of Defence has asked Belfast City Council to fly a flag for a full week to mark Armed Forces Day. But the letter has arrived too late to be discussed by the full council and in the past, there has been no consensus between political parties on whether or not to fly it. Armed Forces Day, now in its fourth year, is on Saturday June 30.
17 September 2021
Amnesty International Condemns Govt Amnesty Proposals
British armed forces cannot be placed above the rule of law and accountability, Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said. Mr Kelly has welcomed a submission by Amnesty International to the United Nations, which stated that the British government's amnesty proposals are "an utter betrayal of victims and must not become law".
Amnesty International Condemns Govt Amnesty Proposals
British armed forces cannot be placed above the rule of law and accountability, Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said. Mr Kelly has welcomed a submission by Amnesty International to the United Nations, which stated that the British government's amnesty proposals are "an utter betrayal of victims and must not become law".
19 December 2001
Court of Appeal supports Saville inquiry soldiers
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the former British soldiers will not have to give evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Northern Ireland. The decision handed down on Wednesday means that the Saville Inquiry ruling that called on former British soldiers to give evidence in Londonderry has been overturned.
Court of Appeal supports Saville inquiry soldiers
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the former British soldiers will not have to give evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Northern Ireland. The decision handed down on Wednesday means that the Saville Inquiry ruling that called on former British soldiers to give evidence in Londonderry has been overturned.
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