KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Six British soldiers were believed killed after an explosion hit their armored vehicle in southwestern Afghanistan, Britains Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. If confirmed, it would be the biggest loss of life for British forces in the country since a plane crash in 2006.

The soldiers were on patrol in Helmand province at the time of the blast Tuesday evening. The military did not explain why they are unable to confirm whether the soldiers were killed.

This tragic incident brings home to us the dangers that are faced on a daily basis by the men and women of our armed Forces deployed in Afghanistan, said Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the six soldiers who are missing, believed killed and also with their colleagues, both in Afghanistan and the UK, whose brave work continues or is about to start.

The deaths would be the biggest loss of life for Britain in a single incident in Afghanistan since a Nimrod aircraft crashed in 2006, killing 14 service members. It would be the largest number of casualties in a ground operation for Britain in the country.

It would also be the deadliest single incident for NATO since Jan. 19, when six U.S. Marines died in a helicopter crash in Helmand province. Last August, insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter, killing 30 American troops.

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a desperately sad day for our country.

This is a desperately sad day for our country and desperately sad of course for the families concerned, Cameron said, adding that troops in Afghanistan were paying a huge price. I do believe its important work for our national security right here at home but of course this work will increasingly be carried out by Afghan soldiers and we all want to see that transition take place.

In Helmand, a spokesman for the British Task Force said the six were missing and believed killed. The families of the British soldiers have been informed.

So far this year, 54 NATO troops have been killed in Afghanistan, including 38 from the United States and four from Britain

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120307/AP/120309757

Don't shoot the messenger!

Rest in Peace Lads.

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In return for years of professional training, 6 soldiers dead without seeing a battle.

Rest in Peace

Rest in peace.

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"The chief aim of all government is to preserve the freedom of the citizen. His control over his person, his property, his movements, his business, his desires should be restrained only so far as the public welfare imperatively demands. The world is in more danger of being governed too much than too little. It is the teaching of all history that liberty can only be preserved in small areas. Local self-government is, therefore, indispensable to liberty. A centralized and distant bureaucracy is the worst of all tyranny. Taxation can justly be levied for no purpose other than to provide revenue for the support of the government. To tax one person, class or section to provide revenue for the benefit of another is none the less robbery because done under the form of law and called taxation." John W. Davis, Democratic Presidential Candidate, 1924. Davis was one of the greatest trial and appellate lawyers in US history. He also served as the US Ambassador to the UK.

May the Rest in Peace and may their families find solace.



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Rest in peace, my thoughts are with their family and friends

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Speaking of the Eurofighters close-in combat prowess, Major Marc Gr�ne, CO of 742 (Zapata), the second squadron of the wing, described to assembled aviation journalists how, on a recent visit to France to demo the aircraft, he had won two out of two battles against the Dassault Rafale in mock within visual range dogfights. Both fights were a standard set-up and merge at 21,000ft and 30,000ft he recounted, adding that the higher the fight the better the Eurofighter liked it. He singled out the Eurofighters excess power as its trump card over the Rafale

I can tell you, this has really rocked the North of England, it's been the topic of discussion on almost every radio station broadcasting up here.

Rest in Peace soldiers.

RIP

Hopefully Tezel doesn't think they are American marines