British pledge on Afghan peace

BRITAIN’S determination to help the Afghan people achieve a stable and secure future is “undiminished” by the crash of a United States military helicopter which claimed 38 lives, a Foreign Office minister said yesterday.

Taliban insurgents are believed to have shot down the Chinook helicopter in Wardak province, in the deadliest single loss for American forces in the decade-old war.

The crash killed eight Afghans and 30 American troops, including 22 personnel belonging to the same elite SEAL unit which killed Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan in May.

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The deployment of the SEALs – none of whom were part of the team which killed bin Laden – suggests that the helicopter may have been involved in a mission against high-value insurgent figures when it got caught up in a firefight.

Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the dead troops, saying: “My thoughts – and the thoughts of the whole country – are with their families and friends.

“They have made the ultimate sacrifice in helping to protect our security, and to build a more stable and peaceful Afghanistan. We remember too the Afghan troops who died alongside them today.

“Britain, and our own armed forces serving in Afghanistan, will continue to work steadfastly alongside their US and Afghan colleagues as they help prepare Afghanistan to secure its own territory.”

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Foreign Minister Alistair Burt yesterday described the incident as a “tragedy”.

The US Navy SEALs whose helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan had rushed to the mountainous area to help a US Army Ranger unit that was under fire from insurgents, officials say.

The rescue team had completed the mission, subduing the attackers who had the Rangers pinned down, and were leaving in their Chinook helicopter when the aircraft was apparently hit, one of the officials said.

The Rangers, special operations forces who work regularly with the SEALs, afterward secured the crash site in the Tangi Joy Zarin area of Wardak province, about 60 miles (97 kms) south-west of Kabul, the other official said.

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Mr Burt told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “However it happened, the loss of so many forces is a matter of deep regret.

“It is terribly sad. It shows the commitment that both the US and ourselves and the Afghan community and the Afghan soldiers are making to try to make their country safe and secure for the future.

“We will go on. The determination of both the US, ourselves and the people of Afghanistan to make their country secure for the future is undiminished by an incident like that, though it reminds us of the cost.”

Mr Burt said that progress was being made in transferring security control of parts of the country to Afghan authorities and in the process of reconciliation with former insurgents.

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“There will be setbacks, there will be incidents such as the ones we have seen, but it is important to balance it with the other good work that is being done,” he said.

“That’s why both ourselves and the US are committed to helping the Afghan people beyond 2015, when our combat troops will have left, because there is so much more development to be engaged with.”

The family of a Royal Marine killed in Afghanistan said last night how proud they were of him and how he “touched the lives of everyone who knew him”.

Marine James Wright, 22, from Weymouth, Dorset, died in hospital on Saturday after a grenade was thrown into his patrol’s checkpoint in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

His family and colleagues praised his courage and bravery.

His father David said: “James was so proud to be a Royal Marine and we are so proud of him. He was determined to be the best.”