Two British soldiers killed in attack on base in Helmand province
(2 Jul 2006) 1. Various of British regional headquarters 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Drew Gibson, British military spokesman: "The two soldiers were killed and four were wounded. They were attacked by anti-coalition militia and suspected Taliban with small arms and rocket propelled grenades late last evening." 3. Soldiers standing around STORYLINE: An insurgent attack on a British base in Helmand province killed two soldiers and an Afghan interpreter and wounded four others, military officials said on Sunday. "They were attacked by anti-coalition militia and suspected Taliban with small arms and rocket propelled grenades late last evening," said British military spokesman, Captain Drew Gibson. The attack happened in Sangin district in southern Helmand province, Gibson said. The four wounded soldiers were in a stable condition, he said. The deaths come amid a huge anti-Taliban campaign in southern Afghanistan involving more than 10-thousand Afghan and coalition soldiers. It is the largest military offensive since the Taliban were removed from power in late 2001. Last week, two other British soldiers were killed in an attack in the same district of Helmand province. A total of five British troops have been killed since the start of Operation Mountain Thrust. Britain currently has some 3,300 troops involved in the current military operation. There has been a spike of violence in recent weeks as the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) prepares to take over security in southern Afghanistan from the US-led coalition. Since May, more than 600 Afghans, mostly militants, have been reported killed in Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press tally based on coalition and Afghan figures. 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...
