bobdina
07-10-2010, 01:55 PM
Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan
10 July 2010
One Australian soldier has been killed and another wounded following an Improvised Explosive Device attack in Afghanistan's Chora Valley region.
Private Nathan Bewes was 23 years old and leaves behind his loving parents, sister and partner, who are currently receiving support from Private Bewes’ unit 6RAR, and from the Defence Community Organisation.
Private Bewes’ family has released a statement paying tribute to a man who “just loved to look after people”.
“When he was on leave from Afghanistan in June all he could talk about was getting back to the deployment and his mates.”
His partner Alice Walsh also released a written statement:
“Nate was my best friend, my soul mate, the one I knew I’d be with for the rest of my life. He was an excellent soldier who was willing to put his life in danger along with his mates from Team 3 for the people of Australia. I will miss my Bewesy for the rest of my life,” she said.
Ms Walsh also called on Australians to take a moment to remember the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.
“Take one minute out of your day to pray or wish upon a star for a soldier so that they may all come back home safely one day to his/her family.”
The pair was on a dismounted patrol when the blast occurred with one soldier immediately evacuated by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter to the ISAF Role Two Hospital at Multi-National Base Tarin Kowt. Private Bewes was declared deceased on arrival.
The other soldier received initial medical treatment at a nearby Patrol Base. His wounds are non life threatening and he has since been evacuated to the ISAF Role Two medical facility at Multi-National Base Tarin Kowt.
The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the loss would be deeply felt by the soldier’s family, his unit, the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
"To this soldier’s family, I offer my heartfelt sympathies and promise the full support of the Australian Defence Force in the hard days and weeks ahead," he said.
"This soldier's family can be very proud of their loved one. He was a very experienced and professional soldier, who was on his third operational tour in his five years with the Army.
"He fought for our nation and our beliefs and demonstrated daily the core Army values of courage, initiative and teamwork.
"This incident is a sad reminder of the dangers faced by our soldiers in Afghanistan on a daily basis. The threat posed by improvised explosive devices is ever present.
"On the day that we farewell Private Scott Palmer, this latest fatality further deepens the feeling of loss on this already very sad day."
Defence Minister John Faulkner offered his deepest condolences to the soldier's family on behalf of the Australian Government and the nation.
"I express our sincere gratitude to the sacrifice made by this soldier and all those who have gone before him," he said.
"I assure you that the commitment, dedication and sacrifice of this soldier will not be forgotten.
"Australia has now lost 17 of our finest soldiers in Afghanistan and I think all our thoughts today should be with the entire Australian Defence Force family and particularly the Australian Army, which has lost six of its soldiers in a little over a month.
"Our thoughts of course are also with the soldier wounded in this incident and his family, we wish him a speedy recovery."
Forty-three Australians have been wounded this year, 25 of those soldiers were members of the 1st Mentoring Task Force.
To date 143 personnel have been wounded since Operation Slipper began.
NATO: 6 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan
By Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 10, 2010 10:19:33 EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan — Six American service members and at least a dozen civilians died in attacks Saturday in Afghanistan’s volatile east and south, adding to a summer of escalating violence as Taliban militants push back against stepped-up operations by international and Afghan forces.
NATO said four U.S. service members died in the east: One as a result of small-arms fire, another by a roadside bomb, a third during an insurgent attack and the last in an accidental explosion. Two other U.S. troops died in separate roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan. Their deaths raised to 23 the number of American troops killed so far this month in the war.
Also, unknown gunmen killed 11 Pakistani Shia tribesmen in the east and at least one person died when a bomb planted on a motorbike exploded in Kandahar city in the south, officials said.
Explosions also hit two convoys of international troops in different parts of the country, with Germany saying two of its troops were wounded by a roadside bomb in the northern province of Kunduz. Another explosion targeted NATO troops in Khost in the east, but the alliance said there were no casualties.
Afghan and international forces also said a combined commando unit killed a Taliban operative and captured eight others in an overnight raid in Paktia province in the east, though local villagers claimed the men were innocent civilians. In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, thousands of Afghans staged an anti-U.S. protest over another night raid that killed two security guards.
Insurgent attacks have intensified across the country and the international coalition has been stepping up raids to root out militant leaders as 30,000 more American troops arrive to try to turn around the war and build a stable Afghan government nine years after U.S.-backed forces toppled the Taliban’s hard-line Islamist regime.
Last month was the deadliest of the war for the multinational force, with 103 international troops killed, 60 of them Americans.
A remotely detonated motorcycle bomb killed one person Saturday in Kandahar city, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, authorities said.
The blast set cars ablaze and shattered windows at a popular shopping center. One man was killed as he drove by in a car just as the bomb exploded, the provincial government said in a statement.
The province is the site of a U.S.-led military operation to strengthen government control.
In the eastern border province of Paktia, unidentified gunmen killed 11 Pakistanis who had crossed into Afghanistan to buy supplies, according to Rohullah Samon, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Samon said 11 Shia minority Muslim tribesmen died and three people, including a child, were wounded in the ambush of their minibus in Chamkani district.
Elsewhere in Paktia, a combined Afghan-coalition commando force raided a compound in Ahmad Abad district overnight, killing one person and arresting nine others, officials said.
The Ministry of Defense said the elite force killed an insurgent operative and captured eight others with weapons. The ninth person arrested was determined to be a civilian and turned over to local authorities, it said in a statement.
Paktia spokesman Samon complained that local authorities were not informed of the raid. He said villagers protested outside government offices Saturday, saying the dead man and those captured were innocent civilians. They promised a larger demonstration the next day if the eight prisoners were not released.
Combined coalition and Afghan forces have been stepping up night raids across the country trying to break up Taliban leadership and operations capability.
In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, more than 1,000 people protested Saturday against the deaths of two security guards in another night raid near a market.
The crowd chanted “Death to America! Long live Islam!” Protesters said the security guards were unjustly killed when combined Afghan and international forces landed by helicopter at the bazaar before dawn Wednesday.
NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said the two guards were shot when they raised their weapons at the commandos and refused orders to put them down. He said the raid succeeded in capturing a Taliban operative who supplied bomb-making material.
The coalition says the new wave of raids has captured more than 100 senior- and midlevel Taliban figures since April and killed dozens more. But the success rate has not made much of a dent in insurgent attacks.
On Saturday, an explosion tore through a NATO convoy traveling in the eastern province of Khost, though no one was killed. The German army later said two of its soldiers were slightly wounded by a roadside bomb in the northern province of Kunduz — the second homemade explosive attack on German troops in the area that day.
Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines killed in Afghanistan
A Military Operations news article
9 Jul 10
It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce that a Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines, serving as part of Combined Force Sangin, was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence
The Marine was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said:
"It is with great sadness I must inform you that a Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines was killed by an explosion in Sangin yesterday evening.
"He was part of a joint foot patrol, along with his fellow Marines and Afghan National Army partners, when he was struck by an explosion.
"He died a Marine, in the course of his duty, and whilst improving the lives of local nationals in Sangin. His bravery and sacrifice will not be forgotten. We will remember him."
Next of kin have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.
10 July 2010
One Australian soldier has been killed and another wounded following an Improvised Explosive Device attack in Afghanistan's Chora Valley region.
Private Nathan Bewes was 23 years old and leaves behind his loving parents, sister and partner, who are currently receiving support from Private Bewes’ unit 6RAR, and from the Defence Community Organisation.
Private Bewes’ family has released a statement paying tribute to a man who “just loved to look after people”.
“When he was on leave from Afghanistan in June all he could talk about was getting back to the deployment and his mates.”
His partner Alice Walsh also released a written statement:
“Nate was my best friend, my soul mate, the one I knew I’d be with for the rest of my life. He was an excellent soldier who was willing to put his life in danger along with his mates from Team 3 for the people of Australia. I will miss my Bewesy for the rest of my life,” she said.
Ms Walsh also called on Australians to take a moment to remember the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.
“Take one minute out of your day to pray or wish upon a star for a soldier so that they may all come back home safely one day to his/her family.”
The pair was on a dismounted patrol when the blast occurred with one soldier immediately evacuated by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter to the ISAF Role Two Hospital at Multi-National Base Tarin Kowt. Private Bewes was declared deceased on arrival.
The other soldier received initial medical treatment at a nearby Patrol Base. His wounds are non life threatening and he has since been evacuated to the ISAF Role Two medical facility at Multi-National Base Tarin Kowt.
The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the loss would be deeply felt by the soldier’s family, his unit, the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
"To this soldier’s family, I offer my heartfelt sympathies and promise the full support of the Australian Defence Force in the hard days and weeks ahead," he said.
"This soldier's family can be very proud of their loved one. He was a very experienced and professional soldier, who was on his third operational tour in his five years with the Army.
"He fought for our nation and our beliefs and demonstrated daily the core Army values of courage, initiative and teamwork.
"This incident is a sad reminder of the dangers faced by our soldiers in Afghanistan on a daily basis. The threat posed by improvised explosive devices is ever present.
"On the day that we farewell Private Scott Palmer, this latest fatality further deepens the feeling of loss on this already very sad day."
Defence Minister John Faulkner offered his deepest condolences to the soldier's family on behalf of the Australian Government and the nation.
"I express our sincere gratitude to the sacrifice made by this soldier and all those who have gone before him," he said.
"I assure you that the commitment, dedication and sacrifice of this soldier will not be forgotten.
"Australia has now lost 17 of our finest soldiers in Afghanistan and I think all our thoughts today should be with the entire Australian Defence Force family and particularly the Australian Army, which has lost six of its soldiers in a little over a month.
"Our thoughts of course are also with the soldier wounded in this incident and his family, we wish him a speedy recovery."
Forty-three Australians have been wounded this year, 25 of those soldiers were members of the 1st Mentoring Task Force.
To date 143 personnel have been wounded since Operation Slipper began.
NATO: 6 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan
By Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 10, 2010 10:19:33 EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan — Six American service members and at least a dozen civilians died in attacks Saturday in Afghanistan’s volatile east and south, adding to a summer of escalating violence as Taliban militants push back against stepped-up operations by international and Afghan forces.
NATO said four U.S. service members died in the east: One as a result of small-arms fire, another by a roadside bomb, a third during an insurgent attack and the last in an accidental explosion. Two other U.S. troops died in separate roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan. Their deaths raised to 23 the number of American troops killed so far this month in the war.
Also, unknown gunmen killed 11 Pakistani Shia tribesmen in the east and at least one person died when a bomb planted on a motorbike exploded in Kandahar city in the south, officials said.
Explosions also hit two convoys of international troops in different parts of the country, with Germany saying two of its troops were wounded by a roadside bomb in the northern province of Kunduz. Another explosion targeted NATO troops in Khost in the east, but the alliance said there were no casualties.
Afghan and international forces also said a combined commando unit killed a Taliban operative and captured eight others in an overnight raid in Paktia province in the east, though local villagers claimed the men were innocent civilians. In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, thousands of Afghans staged an anti-U.S. protest over another night raid that killed two security guards.
Insurgent attacks have intensified across the country and the international coalition has been stepping up raids to root out militant leaders as 30,000 more American troops arrive to try to turn around the war and build a stable Afghan government nine years after U.S.-backed forces toppled the Taliban’s hard-line Islamist regime.
Last month was the deadliest of the war for the multinational force, with 103 international troops killed, 60 of them Americans.
A remotely detonated motorcycle bomb killed one person Saturday in Kandahar city, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, authorities said.
The blast set cars ablaze and shattered windows at a popular shopping center. One man was killed as he drove by in a car just as the bomb exploded, the provincial government said in a statement.
The province is the site of a U.S.-led military operation to strengthen government control.
In the eastern border province of Paktia, unidentified gunmen killed 11 Pakistanis who had crossed into Afghanistan to buy supplies, according to Rohullah Samon, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Samon said 11 Shia minority Muslim tribesmen died and three people, including a child, were wounded in the ambush of their minibus in Chamkani district.
Elsewhere in Paktia, a combined Afghan-coalition commando force raided a compound in Ahmad Abad district overnight, killing one person and arresting nine others, officials said.
The Ministry of Defense said the elite force killed an insurgent operative and captured eight others with weapons. The ninth person arrested was determined to be a civilian and turned over to local authorities, it said in a statement.
Paktia spokesman Samon complained that local authorities were not informed of the raid. He said villagers protested outside government offices Saturday, saying the dead man and those captured were innocent civilians. They promised a larger demonstration the next day if the eight prisoners were not released.
Combined coalition and Afghan forces have been stepping up night raids across the country trying to break up Taliban leadership and operations capability.
In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, more than 1,000 people protested Saturday against the deaths of two security guards in another night raid near a market.
The crowd chanted “Death to America! Long live Islam!” Protesters said the security guards were unjustly killed when combined Afghan and international forces landed by helicopter at the bazaar before dawn Wednesday.
NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said the two guards were shot when they raised their weapons at the commandos and refused orders to put them down. He said the raid succeeded in capturing a Taliban operative who supplied bomb-making material.
The coalition says the new wave of raids has captured more than 100 senior- and midlevel Taliban figures since April and killed dozens more. But the success rate has not made much of a dent in insurgent attacks.
On Saturday, an explosion tore through a NATO convoy traveling in the eastern province of Khost, though no one was killed. The German army later said two of its soldiers were slightly wounded by a roadside bomb in the northern province of Kunduz — the second homemade explosive attack on German troops in the area that day.
Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines killed in Afghanistan
A Military Operations news article
9 Jul 10
It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce that a Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines, serving as part of Combined Force Sangin, was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence
The Marine was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said:
"It is with great sadness I must inform you that a Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines was killed by an explosion in Sangin yesterday evening.
"He was part of a joint foot patrol, along with his fellow Marines and Afghan National Army partners, when he was struck by an explosion.
"He died a Marine, in the course of his duty, and whilst improving the lives of local nationals in Sangin. His bravery and sacrifice will not be forgotten. We will remember him."
Next of kin have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.