# Troops at risk



## John A Silkstone (Jul 5, 2009)

The lives of hundreds of British troops serving in southern Afghanistan are being put at risk by delays to a new fleet of sophisticated armoured vehicles, it can be revealed. 

The delays mean that more British troops in Helmand will continue to use vehicles such as the Viking, the troop carrier in which Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe was killed 

Up to 50 Mastiff armoured patrol vehicles, which have been designed to withstand the blast from the most powerful mines and roadside bombs, will arrive several months late in Helmand, according to the Ministry of Defence. 

The delays mean that more British troops in Helmand will continue to use vehicles which afford less protection, such as the Viking, the troop carrier in which Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards, was killed last Wednesday along with Trooper Joshua Hammond of the Royal Tank Regiment. 

By contrast, the US Department of Defence has managed to procure more than 10,000 of the American version of the Mastiff, known as the Mine Resistant Armoured Protected Vehicle (MRAP), in just 18 months. 

British Government figures reveal that 174 Mastiff 2s should have been in service with the Army by the middle of June but only 127 have arrived. 

The Mastiff is a six-wheeled heavily-armoured patrol vehicle which can carry up to eight passengers as well as a commander, driver and gunner. 

The vehicle first arrived in Helmand in 2007 but its success has lead to calls by commanders for reinforcements. 

It terms of safety the Mastiff has out-preformed every British vehicle in Helmand, and has so far survived all attacks from Taliban weapons. 

The vehicles are equipped with stronger axles, better protection, communication systems and night vision equipment. 

Details of the delays were released by the MoD in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Dr Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, who last night claimed that the delay could lead to soldiers being killed unnecessarily. 

Dr Fox said: "Tony Blair promised that our commanders would have any equipment they needed when they needed it. Obviously this has not been the case. 

"Any delay can lead to unnecessary risks being taken, which could result in British soldiers being killed or wounded unnecessarily." 

An inquiry has already been launched into the attack, and questions will be asked as to why Col Thorneloe was travelling in a vehicle known to vulnerable to attack from mines and roadside bombs in an area which has seen high levels of Taliban activity. 

Col Thorneloe, who had commanded the Welsh Guards for less than a year, had been visiting troops engaged in an operation code-named Panchai Palang (Panther's Claw) when the rear cabin of the Viking struck an improvised explosive device (IED). 

He was the most senior Army officer to die on operations since the Falklands. 

The Viking has now reached the limit on the amount of additional armour it can carry without its capability being adversely affected. It is now due to be withdrawn from use in Afghanistan and will be replaced by a new tracked vehicle known as the Warthog. 

The Government has spent billions of pounds on armoured vehicles for use in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Around £10 billion has been spent on equipment since 2006 of which £1 billion has been spent on armoured vehicles. 

A spokesman for the MoD said: "All the Mastiffs that have been designed as troop carrying variants, and are our operational priority, have been delivered to UK Land Forces as agreed. 

"In the first tranche, this is some 108 Protected Patrol Vehicles that were delivered by the end of 2007. 

"A second tranche of 174 Protected Patrol Vehicles have been ordered to date and 127 have been delivered to HQ Land Forces. 

"There are minor delays on the delivery of Mastiff 2s that will be the ambulance and enhanced communications vehicles, and this is due to the complex integration process required for these vehicles. 

"Deliveries of these vehicles will continue throughout the year." 

In Helmand, British troops, including the Welsh Guards, are continuing to launch attacks against the Taliban in Operation Panchai Palang. 

The fighting has often been at close quarters with just a matter of yards separating British troops and the Taliban. 

In scenes reminiscent of the Second World War, soldiers have been hurling grenades into compounds in a bid to flush out the Taliban. 

Bayonets have been used against the enemy on many occasions and Taliban ambushes remain a constant threat. 

Major Martyn Miles, 49, from Crumlin, south Wales, who is taking part in the operations, said the death of Col Thorneloe had devastated the battalion. 

He said: "The 1st July 2009; a day none of us will ever forget. Details began to come over the radio network and straight away something was missing from our lives. 

"Many couldn't believe it at first. But we soldiered on. The headquarters, and especially the men on the ground, dealt with the situation with the utmost professionalism. 

"Our first thoughts were to do as much we could for everyone who was in the vehicle when it struck the IED. 

"All of the soldiers on the ground here in Afghanistan have been devastated by Col Rupert's death. 

"He died leading his men from the front. It was obvious to all of us that he would never ask us to do something that he wouldn't be prepared to do himself. He was a true leader of men." 

Speaking for the first time, the fiancée of Trooper Joshua Hammond, who died alongside Col Thorneloe, said that her teenage boyfriend was saving money for their wedding day. 

Emma Green, 19, a bank clerk, who last spoke to Tpr Hammond on 22 June, said: "We were planning to get married next year – that it what we were holding in to get us through the six months. 

"He was so glad to be away, in many ways, so that he could save as much money as possible for the wedding. That was his focus. 

"I last spoke to him on our two year anniversary. He said he loved me and that he wished he could be there with me. 

"He couldn't wait to see me. That last thing he said was that he loved me – and he promised he would come home safe."


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