Back in the mincer - by Richard... Friday, August 21, 2009 eureferendum.blogspot.com

Back in the mincer - by Richard... Friday, August 21, 2009 eureferendum.blogspot.com

It is with great sadness, says the Ministry of Defence , that it must confirm that one soldier from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) and one soldier from 2nd Battalion The Rifles have been killed in Afghanistan.

The soldiers died as a result of an explosion that happened whilst on a routine foot patrol, not connected to election security, near Sangin, northern Helmand province, on the morning of Thursday 20 August 2009.

The mincer of Sangin again ... bringing the total deaths in this area to 57 – well over a quarter of the overall total, and this year to 22, with nineteen of them arising from IEDs.

With their tight-lipped OPSEC and their know-it-all superiority, the Army and the MoD are ever-reluctant to give us any details of what is going on, sneering at those of us who are trying to do our own jobs, in holding the military to account (and at the same time protecting soldiers from unnecessary harm). In the absence of hard information, we can only ask questions and speculate.

But hard numbers tell their own story. Sangin is the MoD's "picture postcard" example of how "take and hold" is supposed to work. Excuse our disbelief, verging on cynicism. I think we are owed an explanation. We won't get it, of course ... just more BS and sneering from the sidelines.

More later.