3 British troops killed, 1 seriously wounded as NATO takes

(1 Aug 2006) SHOTLIST 1. Various of journalist with Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stratford-Wright, British forces spokesman 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Stratford-Wright, Lieutenant Colonel, British forces spokesman: "This morning in northern Helmand province UK forces have been involved in an operation. During that operation in one of the incidents a pair of UK vehicles came under fire from insurgents using rocket propelled grenades and a heavy machine gun. I regret to say that two UK soldiers have been killed, a third UK soldier is unaccounted for currently and is feared dead and a fourth soldier was wounded. That last soldier has already been taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment." 3. Close-up of British flag on uniform 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Stratford-Wright, Lieutenant Colonel, British forces spokesman: "Within the (British) headquarters this morning when it was confirmed that we had lost soldiers there was a minute of silence, a mark of respect to the brave men that have died. But now we must get on with the job." 5. Close-up of Stratford-Wright hands 6. Wide shot of Stratford-Wright STORYLINE Insurgents killed three British soldiers patrolling in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a day after NATO took command of the insurgency-wracked region, officials said. A fourth soldier was seriously wounded. The British military initially reported that two soldiers had been killed and a third was unaccounted for, following the ambush in volatile Helmand province. Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stratford Wright, spokesman for the British Helmand Task Force, later confirmed that the body of the missing soldier had been found by troops searching the barren desert region for him. A fourth was seriously wounded and evacuated to a military hospital in Helmand. The militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns at the soldiers, part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Helmand, where nearly 4,000 British troops are deployed. One of the vehicles was destroyed in the attack, but it was not immediately clear if the four soldiers were travelling in the same vehicle, another British official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. "Within the (British) headquarters we stood in a minute of silence as a mark of respect of those who have died," Wright said. "But now we must get one with the job." Afghan officials reported heavy fighting in Helmand's Musa Qala district started early Tuesday, but had no further information. A spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of Defence said the battle sparked by the ambush was continuing. The attack came a day after the NATO force, led by a British general, took command of the south from the US-led coalition, with a mission to stabilise a region wracked by a Taliban-led insurgency and the drugs trade. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...