All Discussions Tagged 'Afghanistan:' - The 4 Freedoms Library2024-03-29T07:25:25Zhttp://4freedoms.com/group/military/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=Afghanistan%3A&feed=yes&xn_auth=noAfghanistan: More British troops killed by Afghan allies: followed by a soldier's suicidetag:4freedoms.com,2013-09-05:3766518:Topic:1371392013-09-05T19:14:05.200ZAlan Lakehttp://4freedoms.com/profile/AlanLake
<div class="storyHead"><h1>British soldiers killed by Afghan policeman seeking medical help</h1>
<h2>Two British soldiers were shot dead by a trusted Afghan colleague minutes after he had asked for medical help for an old war wound, an inquest heard.</h2>
<div class="artIntro"><div id="storyEmbSlide"><div class="slideshow ssIntro"><div class="nextPrevLayer"><div class="ssImg"><img alt="Sergeant Gareth Thursby, a 29-year-old father-of-two, and Private Thomas Wroe, 18, were killed in the shooting. " height="387" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02662/soldiers_2662632b.jpg" width="620"></img><div class="artImageExtras"><div class="ingCaptionCredit"><span class="caption">Sergeant Gareth Thursby, a…</span></div>
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<div class="storyHead"><h1>British soldiers killed by Afghan policeman seeking medical help</h1>
<h2>Two British soldiers were shot dead by a trusted Afghan colleague minutes after he had asked for medical help for an old war wound, an inquest heard.</h2>
<div class="artIntro"><div id="storyEmbSlide"><div class="slideshow ssIntro"><div class="nextPrevLayer"><div class="ssImg"><img src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02662/soldiers_2662632b.jpg" width="620" height="387" alt="Sergeant Gareth Thursby, a 29-year-old father-of-two, and Private Thomas Wroe, 18, were killed in the shooting. "/><div class="artImageExtras"><div class="ingCaptionCredit"><span class="caption">Sergeant Gareth Thursby, a 29-year-old father-of-two, and Private Thomas Wroe, 18, were killed in the shooting. </span> <span class="credit">Photo: MOD/PA</span></div>
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<div class="byline"><div><div class="bylineImg"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/ben-farmer/"><img src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01768/Farmer_60_1768729j.jpg" alt="Ben Farmer" border="0" width="60" height="60"/></a></div>
<p class="bylineBody">By <a rel="author" title="Ben Farmer" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/ben-farmer/">Ben Farmer</a>, Defence Correspondent</p>
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<p class="publishedDate">3:24PM BST 05 Sep 2013</p>
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<div id="mainBodyArea"><div class="firstPar"><p>The Afghan policeman was well known and respected in the local area and considered a strong supporter of the work of international troops.</p>
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<div class="secondPar"><p>Yet he inexplicably turned his AK-47 on soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, after laughing and joking with them at a military checkpoint.</p>
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<div class="thirdPar"><p>Sergeant Gareth Thursby, a 29-year-old father-of-two, and Private Thomas Wroe, 18, were killed in the shooting.</p>
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<div class="fourthPar"><p>The killings came last year amid a spate of attacks by Afghan forces on their foreign allies, in a wave of shootings that provoked panic among Nato commanders.</p>
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<div class="fifthPar"><p>Comrades of the two men said they had been on alert for rogue policeman at Checkpoint Tora, in Helmand’s Nahr-e-Saraj district, but the killer had been well known to them on September 15, 2012.</p>
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<div class="body"><p>Lieutenant Callum Cameron, their commanding officer, told an inquest in Oxford: “He had often been spoken of by the team.”</p>
<p>“He was known to be really pro-[international forces]. He was a real champion of the partnership.</p>
<p>“He was an older gentleman who had fought against the Russians and was very well-respected.”</p>
<p>The policeman worked at another checkpoint 500 yards away and because he was recognised was let in when he arrived at the gate.</p>
<p>He walked with a crutch and had previously told the British troops his foot had been injured when he fought against the Russian army in the 1980s. He carried a gun, but it was slung over his back.</p>
<p>Once inside he pointed to his foot and said "Doctor, doctor,"</p>
<p>LCpl Sarah Farrell, a medic, told other soldiers she had looked at his foot before and could not help the man, because he was too old.</p>
<p>The man appeared to take the rejection “on the chin” and went to the checkpoint's welfare area, where soldiers were socialising between duties, and sat down to share a joke and a cigarette.</p>
<p>Lieutenant Cameron said he was in the operations room when he heard several shots.</p>
<p>As bullets hit the wall of the room, the soldiers grabbed their weapons and covered the door and windows while trying to work out what had happened.</p>
<p>The officer said he believed there were a few more shots before it went quiet.</p>
<p>He went out and saw Sgt Thursby, of Skipton, North Yorks, on the ground and Pte Wroe, of Holmfirth, West Yorks, on a bench with blood on his head and neck.</p>
<p>He told the inquest there was an Afghan policeman on the ground, still moving and near an AK-47, with two British soldiers pointing their weapons at him.</p>
<p>Fearful for the safety of his troops, Lt Cameron gave the order to shoot the man.</p>
<p>He explained: "If this was a suicidal action I didn't want his last action to be pulling the pin on a grenade."</p>
<p>A helicopter emergency medical team was called in to recover the wounded servicemen yet neither could be saved.</p>
<p>Further tragedy followed as Kingsman Ryan Ward, who shot the rogue policeman, attended the funeral of Sgt Thursby on October 27 last year, returned home and hanged himself the following day.</p>
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