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British soldier from Afghanistan dies in hospital Female UK soldier dies in hospital after Afghan blast
(about 1 hour later)
A UK soldier has died in hospital from injuries received in an explosion while clearing roadside bombs in Helmand province, Afghanistan. A female UK soldier has died in hospital from injuries received in an explosion while clearing roadside bombs in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The soldier, from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, died on Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth NHS Hospital in Birmingham. Capt Lisa Jade Head, from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, died at Queen Elizabeth NHS Hospital, Birmingham, on Tuesday.
The soldier was clearing roadside bombs from Nahr-e Saraj district on Monday. She becomes only the second female member of the UK armed forces to die in Afghanistan in nearly a decade.
The soldier died despite surgery and evacuation from Camp Bastion to the UK. Next of kin have been told. She was injured while clearing devices from Nahr-e Saraj district on Monday.
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick said: "The soldier was neutralising a complex set of IEDs which had been sown in an alleyway between two compounds when one of the devices detonated." The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said she was taken to Camp Bastion in Helmand before being evacuated to the UK.
Her next of kin have been informed.
Though women are not allowed to serve on the front line as infantry troops, they are still there, in harm's way, doing a number of specialist roles.
There are female medics, intelligence officers, members of the Royal Military Police and bomb disposal experts.
High-threat explosive ordnance disposal or EOD operators have already been described as the "bravest of the brave". They're the small, elite group of highly skilled soldiers trained to tackle the single biggest killer of British troops in Afghanistan - the roadside bomb.
Much has already been written about the men who've carried out the task - including those who've died in the process like Staff Sgt Oz Schmid. The death of the first female operator is a reminder that women as well as men are putting their lives on the line. About 10% of army high-risk EOD operators are women.
They include Capt Judith Gallagher, who last year was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery. On her first day in Helmand province in 2010 she defused 14 bombs during a marathon 30-hour shift. On one occasion she tried to clear a minefield while under enemy fire. At the time she said: "It's my job and I just get on with it."
The latest casualty was in that mould. It's understood that when she began dealing with the minefield a bomb was triggered, and the force of the blast knocked her off her feet. Uninjured, she returned to her task only to be severely injured by a second blast. She never recovered from those wounds, and died in hospital.
Lt Col Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, announced her death "with much sadness".
He said: "The soldier was neutralising a complex set of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) which had been sown in an alleyway between two compounds when one of the devices detonated.
"Immediate first aid was provided and a helicopter medical emergency response team recovered the casualty to the military hospital in Camp Bastion."
The death takes the number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 364.The death takes the number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 364.
The soldier's regiment is the British army's specialist unit responsible for counter-terrorist bomb disposal, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and the recovery and safe disposal of conventional munitions.
It employs about 500 specialist soldiers selected from five individual corps within the British army.
It has been hard-hit by the Afghanistan war - she becomes the sixth member of the regiment to be killed there.
The only other woman to die in Afghanistan was Cpl Sarah Bryant.
The 26-year-old was killed along with three colleagues when their Snatch Land Rover was blown up by a roadside bomb as they crossed a ditch in the Lashkar Gah area of Helmand province in June 2008.
An inquest heard that Cpl Bryant, who had just got married and was a member of the Intelligence Corps from Chicksands in Bedfordshire, died from blast wounds.
The sole survivor of that explosion, only known as Soldier E, told the inquest he believed the vehicle was "not adequate for the job".
Critics said the Snatch Land Rover did not provide enough protection against roadside bombs.
In September 2010, the MoD announced Snatch Land Rovers would be replaced by Ocelots - British-designed vehicles with a V-shaped shell intended to defend against attacks coming from below the carriage.