sexta-feira, 30 de abril de 2010

Rupert Thorneloe was unlawfully killed in Afghanistan, inquest finds

Most senior British army officer to be killed since the Falklands war was trying to inspire his troops at time of blast, hearing told

Steven Morris


The most senior British army officer to be killed since the Falklands war was trying to inspire his troops in Afghanistan by travelling in an exposed position on an armoured vehicle and helping to hunt for roadside bombs, an inquest heard today.
Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe was showing his soldiers he was prepared to do the dangerous jobs he was ordering them to undertake, and also wanted to make sure he had first-hand experience of what was happening on the ground.
The 39-year-old commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was killed in a blast that hit a Viking armoured vehicle near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province. Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, also died.
Major Andrew Speed, the battalion's second-in-command, described Thorneloe as a "wonderful leader" who had had a "fantastic future". He said: "Like all good leaders the colonel wanted to get on to the ground and see what was going on, get a feel for what his troops were doing".
Thorneloe had told his second-in-command that he intended to carry out Operation Barma drills, hunting for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which Speed described as "nerve-wracking".
Speed added: "He wanted to demonstrate to everyone he was prepared to do everything they were doing. They [the soldiers] can only be inspired by that".
The inquest in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, heard concerns about equipment. Shortly before his death Thorneloe sent a memo up the chain of command about the "absence of helicopters" to support troops.
It also emerged that the rear cab of the Viking that Thorneloe and Hammond were in had not undergone an armour upgrade, although the front had. Major Charlie Burbridge, the Viking group commander at the time, said the rear of the vehicles had not received an armour upgrade because it was thought it would be too heavy. He said he believed the extra armour had since been added to the rear cabs of Vikings.
After the inquest, Thorneloe's father, Major John Thorneloe, said he hoped that troops were better equipped as a result of his son's death.
He said: "If my son was killed as he was then one good thing might have come from it. It may have made the nation, but more importantly the government, realise that it was a war we were involved in and that you don't fight wars based on hope, you fight them based on the worst case and have all the requisite equipment to manage it.
"I think that it focused the attention enormously and I hope that as a result of that at least the armed forces were better equipped and the funds made available accordingly".
Thorneloe and Hammond were helping escort articulated vehicles carrying supplies to a checkpoint along a dusty narrow track called Route Cornwall on 1 July last year. Thorneloe was providing "top cover" in the vehicle heading the patrol in an area that had only recently been taken over by allied forces.
The Viking struck a 20kg IED and was thrown five metres into the air. Thorneloe and Hammond, who were both in the rear of the vehicle, were killed.
Corporal Kevin Williams, who was in the front of the Viking, said the IED was "unusual" as the pressure pad that triggered the blast was separate from the explosive. He said he imagined that this was intended to target larger vehicles such as Vikings.
Lance Corporal Peter Simmons, who was part of the team that was checking the ground, paid tribute to Thorneloe's "sheer professionalism" and said: "He was trying to inspire his men".
Simmons said he did not usually have anybody providing top cover except during a fight with the enemy. "He wanted to get up there himself. He chose to go up top cover with his own rifle".
The Wiltshire and Swindon coroner, David Ridley, recorded verdicts of unlawful killing. He expressed concern that formal, written procedures had still not been produced for operation of the Vikings in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defence said Vikings were being replaced with the more heavily armoured Warthogs, which were due to enter combat this summer.
The Guardian