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Six British soldiers died in fireball on patrol in Afghanistan, inquest hears Major defends decision to send out on patrol six soldiers who died in fireball
(about 3 hours later)
Six soldiers were killed when their Warrior armoured vehicle was turned into a "fireball" by a huge roadside bomb as they patrolled in Afghanistan, an inquest has been told. An army major has defended his decision to order a patrol in Afghanistan that ended with six men being killed when their armoured vehicle was turned into a "fireball" by a huge roadside bomb.
Colleagues who rushed to help the men described hearing ammunition ignite in the Warrior after the massive explosion and bullets ricocheting inside the vehicle. The patrol was delayed by a sandstorm and did not take place until the early evening but Major Edward Colver told the men's inquest it was important to send the Warrior vehicle out to keep the enemy on the "back foot".
The incident in March last year remains the biggest single loss of life for British forces since an RAF Nimrod crash in Afghanistan killed 14 people seven years ago. Just minutes after leaving the base in Helmand, the Warrior drove over an improvised explosive device (IED). Colleagues who rushed to try to help the men described hearing ammunition ignite in the Warrior and listened helpless as bullets ricocheted around inside the vehicle.
The deaths of the six men took the toll of British deaths in Afghanistan past 400, and refocused attention on the reason for British troops being in the country. The tragedy in March last year remains the biggest single loss of life for British forces in Afghanistan apart from an RAF Nimrod crash in 2006 in which 14 died. The deaths of the six men took the toll of British fatalities in Afghanistan past the 400 mark and re-focused attention on the reason for UK troops being in the country.
It happened at a time when the threat of attack from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the area was thought low, the inquest in Oxford was told. The hearing in Oxford was told on Wednesday that one of the soldiers who died, Christopher Kershaw, 19, was only on board because he had volunteered at the last minute to take a colleague's place.
The hearing was also told that one of the soldiers who died, 19-year-old Christopher Kershaw, was on board only because he had volunteered at the last minute to take a colleague's place. Kershaw died alongside Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, and Privates Anthony Frampton, 20, Daniel Wade, 20, and Daniel Wilford, 21.
Kershaw died alongside Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, and Privates Anthony Frampton, 20, Daniel Wade, 20, and Daniel Wilford, 21, during the incident in Helmand province on 6 March 2012. The patrol had been due to go out at 4pm but was delayed by two and a half hours due to a sandstorm. Colver said that later, when he was deciding whether to send the patrol, he had no concerns about visibility.
The inquest heard it was most likely that all the men were either killed or knocked unconscious by the huge blast, and unaware of what happened afterwards. He said it was "standard operating procedure" to try to send a patrol out after a period when troops had not been able to see what was happening in the area.
Known by the call-sign K12, the Warrior was patrolling with another vehicle when it was hit by an IED in Helmand. The force of the explosion turned it upside down and blew off its gun turret. Ammunition on board the vehicle ignited, causing a fierce fire. Asked by lawyer Michael Davison, representing members of three of the soldiers' families, why he had decided to send out the patrol at that time and not the following day, he said: "You have to constantly keep the insurgents on the back foot.
The inquest on Wednesday heard that the patrol had been scheduled to leave earlier that day but was delayed because of a sandstorm. It eventually left just after 6.30pm, and was blown up a few minutes later. "We hadn't been out from the morning until late afternoon. If I hadn't sent that patrol out, we wouldn't have had anyone out for around 20 hours. I deemed that too long."
Soldiers in a second Warrior vehicle, given the call-sign K13, reported hearing an explosion then seeing a fireball. Colver said the soldiers were taught to look for "groundsign" – indications of possible IEDs – but it was difficult because of the terrain, which he compared to the surface of the moon, and dust thrown up by the vehicle.
In a statement read to the court, Private Luke Stones described how Kershaw, who was driving the Warrior, had volunteered to take the place of another soldier on the patrol. The inquest heard it was most likely that all the men were either killed or knocked unconscious by the huge blast, and unaware of what happened afterwards. It was also told that at the time the threat of attack from IEDs in the area was deemed low.
"Private Butler would have been the driver of K12 but he was returning from the shower and as a result Pte Kershaw offered to take his place," he said. A soldier in the vehicle behind, Private Luke Stones, said he heard a "large explosion" just five minutes after leaving the base. "Around 20m to my front was a large fireball which had flames reaching around it. I stood staring at the fireball not really understanding what I was looking at."
Stones, who was the gunner in the second Warrior, said he heard a large explosion just five minutes after leaving the base. "Around 20 metres to my front was a large fireball, which had flames reaching around it," he said. "I stood staring at the fireball, not really understanding what I was looking at." The inquest was held as the Ministry of Defence named the 445th UK service member to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.
The blast had blown the armoured vehicle on to its side, and blew its gun turret off, the inquest heard. Lance Corporal James Brynin, of the Intelligence Corps, was shot dead when his patrol was attacked in Helmand.
As they cleared a safe path to the Warrior and tried to put the blaze out, colleagues from the second vehicle described hearing ammunition ignite and ricochet inside the stricken vehicle. The inquest continues.
A statement from Private Aiden Walker said: "I could hear ammunition cooking off – that's detonating due to the heat of the fire. I believe that no one in the Warrior was alive and could have survived the explosion."
Intelligence officer Staff Sergeant Scot Cooper told the inquest that the IED threat at that time in the area had been low.
Coupe, from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, Wade, from Warrington, Cheshire, Hartley, from Dewsbury, west Yorkshire, Frampton and Wilford, both from Huddersfield, west Yorkshire, and Kershaw, from Bradford, had been in Afghanistan for a few weeks only.
Coupe was a member of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, and the others were all members of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
The inquest comes as the MoD named Lance Corporal James Brynin, 22, of the Intelligence Corps, as the 445th UK service member to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.
The hearing continues.
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