DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - British soldier kidnapped and executed by Taliban

**southernplayer99** · 04-07-2011, 01:28 PM

The Taliban have claimed that they have executed a British soldier that they seized during a fierce gun battle against the British.

A Taliban source claimed he has been executed.

If the death is confirmed he will be the 375th British fatality in the Afghanistan War.

British soldiers in action in Afghanistan

Hundreds of troops were today engaged in a desperate search for a British soldier kidnapped by the Taliban.

The man - who has not been named - was seized during a fierce gun battle with insurgents yesterday evening in the Babaji area of southern Helmand.

'The soldier was captured yesterday evening during a firefight. When the fighting got more intense we couldn't keep him so we had to kill him,' Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The MoD today confirmed that the missing soldier was British and his family had been informed of his disappearance.

'An extensive operation to locate him is under way,' it said in a statement. 'The individual was based in Central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours of this morning.'

British forces have cancelled all other operations to hunt for him. Troops are carrying out air and land searches across the sprawling district.

It is the first time a British soldier has been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It is understood that he had been based at Checkpoint Salaang and had just finished duty when he was taken.

An Afghan soldier reportedly told officers he saw the British man walk south and was alone at the time.

The Nato command in Afghanistan said the soldier had been listed as 'duty status whereabouts unknown' and a search was under way.

No further details were released. The spokesman would not comment on the Taliban’s statement.

It is believed the missing soldier may be a marine. He was operating in the area at the centre of a major British operation - codenamed Panther's Claw - in 2009. Number of fatalities in Afghanistan

USA: 1,531
UK: 374 (375 if the missing British soldier has been killed)
Canada: 154
France: 63
Germany: 56
Denmark: 40
Italy: 39
Spain: 30
Australia: 27
Poland: 26
Netherlands: 25
Romania: 19
Norway: 10
Georgia: 9
Estonia: 8
Hungary: 6

Others: 26

Read more: British soldier kidnapped by Taliban 'and executed' during gun battle in southern Afghanistan | Mail Online

04-07-2011, 01:28 PM	#1
southernplayer99 Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 489 Senior Member	British soldier kidnapped and executed by Taliban The Taliban have claimed that they have executed a British soldier that they seized during a fierce gun battle against the British. A Taliban source claimed he has been executed. If the death is confirmed he will be the 375th British fatality in the Afghanistan War. British soldiers in action in Afghanistan Hundreds of troops were today engaged in a desperate search for a British soldier kidnapped by the Taliban. The man - who has not been named - was seized during a fierce gun battle with insurgents yesterday evening in the Babaji area of southern Helmand. 'The soldier was captured yesterday evening during a firefight. When the fighting got more intense we couldn't keep him so we had to kill him,' Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an undisclosed location. The MoD today confirmed that the missing soldier was British and his family had been informed of his disappearance. 'An extensive operation to locate him is under way,' it said in a statement. 'The individual was based in Central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours of this morning.' British forces have cancelled all other operations to hunt for him. Troops are carrying out air and land searches across the sprawling district. It is the first time a British soldier has been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is understood that he had been based at Checkpoint Salaang and had just finished duty when he was taken. An Afghan soldier reportedly told officers he saw the British man walk south and was alone at the time. The Nato command in Afghanistan said the soldier had been listed as 'duty status whereabouts unknown' and a search was under way. No further details were released. The spokesman would not comment on the Taliban’s statement. It is believed the missing soldier may be a marine. He was operating in the area at the centre of a major British operation - codenamed Panther's Claw - in 2009. Number of fatalities in Afghanistan USA: 1,531 UK: 374 (375 if the missing British soldier has been killed) Canada: 154 France: 63 Germany: 56 Denmark: 40 Italy: 39 Spain: 30 Australia: 27 Poland: 26 Netherlands: 25 Romania: 19 Norway: 10 Georgia: 9 Estonia: 8 Hungary: 6 Others: 26 Read more: British soldier kidnapped by Taliban 'and executed' during gun battle in southern Afghanistan \| Mail Online
	Quote