This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8341659.stm
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Five British soldiers shot dead | |
(10 minutes later) | |
Five British soldiers have been shot dead in Helmand Province, in an attack the UK military says was carried out by a "rogue" Afghan policeman. | |
Three of the soldiers were from the Grenadier Guards and two were from the Royal Military Police. | Three of the soldiers were from the Grenadier Guards and two were from the Royal Military Police. |
The policeman opened fire within a training compound before fleeing, Lt Col David Wakefield said. | |
An investigation into the attack is under way. The soldiers' next of kin have been informed of the deaths. | |
Lt Col Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with the deepest sadness I must inform you that five British soldiers were shot and killed yesterday in Nad-e'Ali District. | |
"Five British soldiers, five of our own, shot down in the course of their duty. They will not be forgotten." | "Five British soldiers, five of our own, shot down in the course of their duty. They will not be forgotten." |
BBC Kabul correspondent Ian Pannell said sources indicated the attacker was a police officer called Gulbuddin who had fled the scene after the shooting. | |
It appears he could have been involved in a dispute with his commander, but tribal sources have pointed to a link with the Taliban. | |
The deaths take the number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 229. |