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A Royal Marine was killed by an explosion today in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. The Marine, from UK Landing Force Command Support Group, operating as part of 45 Commando Royal Marines, was killed in the Kajaki area, a spokesperson confirmed. Next of kin have been informed. The Marine was taking part in a routine patrol when the explosion occurred, the spokesperson said. “He received immediate medical attention at the scene but sadly died of his wounds.”

EXCLUSIVE Brits fight off deadly pirates                      By DAVID WILLETTS Published: Today       A TEAM of hero Brits battled back deadly pirates four times in 24 hours armed only with Molotov cocktails and flare guns, The Sun can reveal. The three-man ex-military security team were hired to protect cargo ship S. Venus in the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden off the Africa coast. On four separate occasions between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Somali pirates – armed with AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) – tried...

A month-long operation by British, Afghan and coalition forces saw fierce close-quarter combat. WHEN Lance-Corporal Ben Whatley was killed on Christmas Eve, he was leading his Royal Marines from the front as they fought close up with the Taliban. His family in Norfolk had put Christmas festivities on hold, expecting him home in early January. It has now emerged that the clash in which Whatley died – a helicopter-borne assault on the village of Chah-e Anjir — was the climax of a month-long operation in Helmand province involving 1,500 British, Afghan and coalition troops. The offensive, described in detail this...

A Royal Marine was killed in southern Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, the Ministry of Defence said today. The serviceman, from 42 Commando, died from enemy fire while on a mission in the Nad-e-Ali district near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. Commander Paula Rowe, the Task Force Helmand spokeswoman, said: “The death of this Royal Marine is a tragic loss and coming so close to Christmas, this is particularly poignant. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this dreadfully sad time.” Next of kin have been informed.

Midnight in the middle of enemy territory in Afghanistan. Today we have repatriated four Royal Marines and one commando-trained Royal Artillery officer – all killed in action – to their loved ones. The best eulogies always come from the lads themselves and they are not always repeatable in polite conversation. But today’s were awesome. Some had known the dead men since they were boys, and the humour was rich and the respect profound.Sadly, while we were praying for their souls, another of our task force, a rifleman, was killed.  As I write, we are sitting in the back of...

Gordon Brown paid tribute to four Royal Marines killed in Afghanistan on a visit to their comrades on the frontline today. The Prime Minister’s surprise visit came the day after the soldiers died in the southern province of Helmand with three killed by a 13-year-old suicide bomber and the fourth in an unrelated attack. He praised the soldier’s work in fighting a “chain of terror” stretching from the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Britain after flying into the frontline town of Musa Qala, which was recaptured from the Taliban last year. Mr Brown again expressed his sympathy to...

A hero Royal Marine saved 130 soldiers from certain death when he rugby tackled a suicide attacker before he could detonate a huge motorcycle bomb.The 40-year-old Marine saw the Afghan insurgent reaching for a yellow detonator button on the bike and leapt into action to drag him away.He foiled a cunningly planned attack in which the same motorcycle had been checked by the same troops just hours earlier when its panniers had been packed with potatoes instead of explosives.The suicide bomb contained 70 kilograms of explosives and was so huge it would have destroyed everything within 180 metres and left...

A hero Royal Marine saved 130 soldiers from certain death when he rugby tackled a suicide attacker before he could detonate a huge motorcycle bomb. The 40-year-old Marine saw the Afghan insurgent reaching for a yellow detonator button on the bike and leapt into action to drag him away.He foiled a cunningly planned attack in which the same motorcycle had been checked by the same troops just hours earlier when its panniers had been packed with potatoes instead of explosives.The suicide bomb contained 70 kilograms of explosives and was so huge it would have destroyed everything within 180 metres...

A Royal Marine who threw himself on to an exploding grenade to save the lives of his comrades is to receive the George Cross. Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher stepped on a trip-wire which triggered the device during a night raid on a Taliban compound in Afghanistan. Realising that three other members of his patrol would be killed if he did not act, he launched himself forward to smother the explosion, managing to twist on to his back to let his rucksack take the full force of the blast. Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher with his shredded rucksack. Having stepped on a...

L/Cpl Matthew Croucher will become part of a select of group of just 20 living George Cross holders when the Queen awards him the medal, which is given for acts showing the same level of heroism as the Victoria Cross. The Marine had less than seven seconds to make up his mind on whether to risk sacrificing his own life to save his friends when the hand grenade rolled onto the ground during an operation in Afghanistan earlier this year. Without hesitating he chose to chance death and save his three fellow Royal Marines. '

Pure hell of the siege of Musa Qala A little-reported battle against the Taliban in which seven of our (Poster's note: "our" means British, the Royal Irish Brigade troops) troops died has been revealed as one of the fiercest and most heroic of the Afghan campaign. Lieutenant-Colonel DJ Reynolds Musa Qala, a besieged outpost deep in Taliban territory, holds a special place in the battle records of the Pathfinder platoon of 16 Air Assault Brigade – and of the Irishmen, Danes and other soldiers who braved face-to-face fighting to relieve them. When a column at last got through to Musa...

A Royal Marine who threw himself onto an exploding grenade to save the lives of his patrol has been put forward for the UK's highest military honour. Lance Corporal Matt Croucher, 24, a reservist from Birmingham, survived because his rucksack and body armour took the force of the blast. He was part of a reconnaissance troop in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February, when the incident happened. The Ministry of Defence said he could be considered for the Victoria Cross.

A Royal Marine could receive the highest award for gallantry after he saved the lives of his comrades by throwing himself onto an exploding grenade in Afghanistan, it has been reported. Lance Corporal Matt Croucher amazingly survived the incident despite shrapnel peppering his helmet during the explosion. L/Cpl Croucher's backpack was thrown more than 30ft in the explosion His extraordinary courage, which could lead to a citation for the Victoria Cross, came after a tripwire booby-trap was stepped on during a nighttime mission outside the town of Sangin, Helmand province.

  Our Boys blitz Taliban bash   On patrol ... British soldier in Helmand province   By JEROME STARKEY with Our Boys in Helmand   Published: Today     BRITISH commandos launched a devastating blitz on the Taliban – as the evil terrorists held a party to celebrate Benazir Bhutto’s murder. The dawn raid was staged after messages were intercepted about the sick knees-up in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Royal Marines crept into position as the fanatics partied the night away just hours after Ms Bhutto was killed in Pakistan. The bash was being held in ruined compounds a few...

Joint anti-terrorism exercises by Indian, UK forces (DPA) 16 September 2007 NEW DELHI - Special forces from Britain and India are scheduled to begin a joint exercise on Monday during which they will train to combat a guerrilla-like enemy in a region with similar rugged terrain as Afghanistan, officials and news reports said. The 24-day exercise in the high-altitude Ladakh region in northern India, has been codenamed Himalayan Warrior, the Indian army said in a statement. The British army, which is part of the coalition forces battling the Taleban militia in Afghanistan, had requested that the manoeuvres be held in...

A British Special Forces hero has been killed in a battle with Taliban fanatics in southern Afghanistan, in the worst month for British casualties on the ground in the past year. The SBS (Special Boat Service) member - officially referred to as a Royal Marine due to the secrecy surrounding his unit - died as an elite team tried to arrest a 'high value target' during a snatch raid on Sunday, insiders said. He was the fourth British serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan in just five days, the sixth since the start of July and the 68th since UK...

<p>Lance Corporal Michael Jones was killed in a gun battle A Royal Marine killed on a special mission in Afghanistan has been named as Lance Corporal Michael Jones.</p> <p>The 26-year-old, of Newbald, Yorkshire, died on Sunday in a gun battle with Taleban insurgents in Nimruz province, in the south west of the country.</p>

AN SBS commando has been killed in a ferocious raid to take out a senior Taliban leader, The Sun can reveal. The former Royal Marine was caught in a hail of bullets in the Afghan badlands. He is the fourth soldier to die in five days in the country’s war-torn south — making it the blackest week for British forces here in ten months. >b>Three other Special Boat Service men were also wounded in the intense but short battle in the remote province of Nimruz, which borders Iran. In return, as many as 30 enemy fighters were cut down in...

THE four helicopter heroes who pulled off one of the most daring wartime rescue missions in Afghanistan have told their incredible tale for the first time. They revealed how they hung precariously from two Apaches, braving hurricane winds from the blades and heavy enemy fire to swoop down and pluck the body of Royal Marine Matthew Ford from a Taliban fort.

Footage of a daring rescue mission in which four British Royal Marines tried to save a comrade in southern Afghanistan has been released. Lance Corporal Ford, of 45 Commando Royal Marines, had died but the men retrieved his body during last week's incident, strapping themselves to an Apache helicopter's wings in scenes reminiscent of an action film. Colin Hearn, 45, was one of the four marines and one soldier who flew in on the side of the Apache to rescue a fallen comrade. A Royal Marine for 23 years, he was stationed at the Operations Room, the nerve centre of...

Royal Marines have carried out one of the most daring rescue missions ever to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade in Afghanistan. It followed a ferocious battle in which 200 British troops backed by artillery, helicopters and aircraft raided a fort believed to be a major headquarters for Taliban militants. Officials say that as the troops advanced they were engaged from several insurgent positions. On retreat they discovered one Marine was missing and four men volunteered to go on a daring rescue mission. Apache attack helicopters were used to mount the raid. They have no room for passengers inside,...

UK troops 'destroy' Taleban camp Many Taleban fighters are thought to have been killed in the operation British troops have destroyed a Taleban training camp in southern Afghanistan, killing dozens of insurgents, according to the military. About 110 Royal Marines carried out the operation in northern Helmand, which it is hoped will pave the way for repairs on a hydroelectric dam in the province. It is hoped nearly two million people will now get access to electricity. Operation Clay was launched on New Year's Day. Plymouth-based 42 Commando were engaged in four days of fighting. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has...

Soldiers turned away from bar after funeral Last updated at 16:05pm on 24th November 2006 Two Royal Marines were refused entry to a bar just hours after a colleague's funeral because they were in uniform. The two servicemen went for a drink at the Walkabout bar in Liverpool city centre following the funeral of Corporal Ben Nowak at the city's Anglican cathedral. Cpl Nowak, 27, who served with 45 Commando, was one of four people killed in a bomb attack on a patrol boat in southern Iraq on Remembrance Sunday. His two colleagues, who were among 1,000 mourners at yesterday's...

British troops will be ordered to conduct "seek and destroy" operations in southern Afghanistan, according to documents seen by the Sunday Telegraph.The plans, which form part of a briefing document for senior officers, have revealed that troops will take part in missions to hunt down and kill insurgents, despite an explicit government assurance that this would not happen. The revelation has led to allegations from serving officers and MPs that the Afghanistan deployment is already facing so-called "mission creep", with troops being ordered to conduct operations that were not part of the original- plan. Under the heading "Deep Manoeuvre Effects",...

Sailor poll blast for gays By TOM NEWTON DUNN MOST sailors are NOT happy going to sea with gays and lesbians, it emerged yesterday.Up to 60 per cent of sailors and three-quarters of Royal Marines say they are uncomfortable serving alongside homosexual comrades, an internal poll revealed.And an alarming 29 per cent of ships’ hands and 47 per cent of commandos object strongly.It spells bad news for admirals keen to promote harmony on board. Lib Dem defence spokesman Paul Keetch said: “If we want a 21st century fighting force, some of the 20th century attitudes need to be tackled.“Just like...

2nd FAST trains with British Royal Marines. Submitted by:   4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism) Story by:   Cpl. Sharon E. Fox       NAVAL WEAPONS STATION YORKTOWN, Va. (Aug. 3, 2004) -- The Fleet Protection Group British Royal Marines and the 2nd Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism) conducting training here as part of the ongoing joint exercise Tartan Eagle, a multi-location exercise with approximately three weeks in the U.S. and three weeks in the United Kingdom. During the three-week evolution, the Marines go through various training phases including enhanced marksmanship trianing,...

LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian soldiers who detained eight British naval troops last month on the Iran-Iraq border subjected them to a mock execution, The Sun reports. The six Royal Marines and two sailors were seized on the Shatt al-Arab waterway by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on June 21, sparking tense discussions between the two governments. Royal Marine Dave Reid, 24, told The Sun that Iranian guards had forced their blindfolded captives into a ditch during a transfer between prisons. "We had been taken into a small ditch which we thought was our shallow grave," he said. "There was just ten...

Key Points 600 marines of 40 Commando to replace 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers in Iraq Iraq suffers worst death toll since February Vehicle explodes near Muthanna airport killing 33 and injuring 145 Car bomb in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, kills 6 Iraqi security force members Key quote "If we judge that further changes to the UK military contribution in Iraq would be appropriate to support this process, we will of course inform the House at the earliest opportunity. At present, however, no such decision has been made," - Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary. Story in full THE Royal...

Captain has his leg amputated to stay in Marines By Richard Savill (Filed: 26/05/2004) A Royal Marines officer who was badly injured in a 1,000ft climbing fall has become the first Commando to return to operational service with an artificial leg after he asked doctors to amputate his limb. Capt Jim Bonney, 26, faced having to leave the Royal Marines and the loss of an active life, including a love of canoeing and climbing, after the fall while on an adventure training exercise in Alaska three years ago. After various operations his right ankle had degenerated to an extent that...

Our troops will get hit in the Washington crossfireSIMON JENKINS GEORGE BUSH has Tony Blair round his little finger. Indeed I wonder sometimes if Mr Blair is his little finger. When the hand waves the finger waves. When the hand bombs the finger bombs. When the hand says come, it comes. Mr Blair’s intention, as yet unannounced, to send 3,000 Royal Marines to the holy places of Iraq is near unbelievable. This must rank with Churchill’s Dardanelles folly and Gladstone’s sending of Gordon to Khartoum. The latter is the most ironic parallel. Gordon too was an imperial hubris too far....

Toon Dream is Cup in smoke Drogba double sinks Bobby's braves in semi Britney's nude pool rompLonely star flies in her boyfriend Kevin from LA Nicola T is a court chesterPage 3 wenches bared boobs back in 1604 Move your feat to the beatPedometer will count calories & play fave tunes Want to be a Page 3 star?Hopefuls get hand on road to success Meet the last SamuraiWin a top night out for two plus DVD and player Going back ... Marinefights in Iraq last yearPicture: REUTERS  FULL NEWS INDEX EXCLUSIVE Blair sends in 800 MarinesBy GEORGE PASCOE-WATSONDeputy Political...

MORE than 2,000 Royal Marines will soon be on the way to the Iraqi hotspot town of Najaf and other positions in the centre of the country, it was confirmed last night. In a big expansion of Britain’s role in Iraq, Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade and also The Black Watch Regiment have been put on short-notice standby for Iraq. They are expected to deploy early next month. The first indication that the Government was nearing a decision on expanding Britain’s role in Iraq came from Tony Blair in the Commons yesterday, when he said that discussions were under...

Simpson is a brilliant philosophy graduate and has just won the Royal Marines' sword of honour. Cassandra Jardine meets him. With itwre fence, armed guards and concrete buildings, Royal Marines Condor outside Arbroath is a forbidding place. To judge from the stream of cars driving south on a Friday afternoon, it is a spot to escape from at the earliest opportunity. But Tom Simpson has just arrived and he is trying to fit in. Tom Simpson got a taste for the Armed Forces at Cambridge University Word has got round that 23-year-old Second Lieutenant Simpson was awarded Cambridge's top philosophy...

The Ark Royal has docked in Portsmouth after returning from action in the Gulf. Thousands of people lined the docks to greet the 850 servicemen and women, the combined crew of the aircraft carrier and her escort Type 42 destroyer HMS York. Friends and family waved banners and cheered on the wet and windy dock as they waited for their loved ones' return. The flag ship was greeted by a flotilla of local ships and a flyover by military aircraft as it sailed into Portsmouth. Gary Mills, 46, from Aberdeen, wept as he waved to his 20-year-old daughter Emma, who...

KUWAIT CITY April 21 — After winning some of the Iraq war's hardest fighting, Britain's Royal Marine Commandos began packing up hovercraft and landing vessels Monday to begin a long journey home. The departure over the next few weeks of the 2,000 troops of the 3rd Commando Brigade among the British army's best-trained forces is quiet proof that the war is over. Relative stability has come to the British sector in the southern city of Basra, the Faw peninsula and the vital port of Umm Qasr. Reconstruction and peace-building will be left to engineers and civil affairs troops. Still grimy...

Green Berets in Korea: The Story of 41 Independent Commando Royal Marines, by Fred Hayhurst. Vanguard Press, England. £8.99 ($14)This is the true story of a group of "independent commandos" from Britain's Royal Marines who operated under United States command behind enemy lines in North Korea in the 1950s. It has not been told until now.Apart from revealing some hidden history, Fred Hayhurst's Green Berets in Korea gives the flavour of the post-World War II relationship between the American and British military forces in Asia, which makes it especially relevant today when U.S. and British soldiers are again fighting...

<p>CAMP AS SALIYAH, Qatar — Coalition commanders have put together battle plans for Baghdad that they say draw heavily on the unorthodox but "very impressive" tactics adopted by British forces seeking the collapse of resistance in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city.</p>

Triumphant Royal Marine commandos yesterday mopped up the final traces of resistance in the south of Basra after the success of the first urban infantry assault of the war by British troops. Under cover from smoke shells fired by British gunners, troops from Delta Company of 40 Commando renewed the assault at first light, attacking two enemy positions, known by military planners using the operation's James Bond theme as Pussy and Galore. Attempts by Iraqi troops to flee from the British advance over the Shatt Al-Arab waterway were confounded when two boats crammed with soldiers were attacked by mortars and...

<p>BASRA, Iraq — Hundreds of commandos from the Royal Marines began the battle for Basra yesterday in a ferocious 15-hour assault on fortified Iraqi positions in a southeastern suburb.</p> <p>By nightfall, about 600 men from the 40 Commando unit had taken up what was described as a "consolidation position" in the suburb of Abu al Khasib and were planning to press on today toward the Shatt al Arab waterway.</p>

BATTLE FOR BASRA Hundreds of Royal Marine commandos are continuing their advance into the southern city of Basra. A fierce 15-hour assault at the weekend, the biggest by the British of the war, has taken around 600 Royal Marines from 40 Commando into a "consolidation position" in the suburb of Abu al Khasib. They are expected to continue the attack on Monday towards the Shatt al Arab waterway, a pooled report from the Daily Telegraph said. In separate action on Sunday, a Royal Marine was killed and several injured when their river launch was ambushed in separate fighting on the...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 03/31/03 - Strike Videos, Baghdad, Basra, Umm Qasr, Dohuk, Qushtapa UNDERREPORTED COALITION GAINS Baghdad - shock and awe incrementally applied South Iraq - Russian antitank 'technology' used against American heroes Basra - Exodus at Basra- fleeing Iraqis slaughtered by Saddam's forces Basra - Checkpoint of Freedom at Basra Az Zubaya - British Light Infantry distributes aid Najaf - homocidal bomber in a taxi kills four American heroes Umm Qasr, RFA Sir Galahad arrives Umm Qasr, Royal Marines rock Chamchamal - chemical protection kit found in bunker after Iraqis abandoned their position Dohuk...

UK forces fight tank battle south of Basra By Peter Graff ABOARD HMS ARK ROYAL, March 25 (Reuters) - British forces south of Basra have blocked an attempted breakout by up to 50 Iraqi tanks seeking to press southward from the edge of the city, a British naval commander said on Tuesday. Captain Alan Massey of the flagship aircraft carrier Ark Royal said British light tanks from the Queen's Dragoons' Guard and marines from two battalions on the Faw Peninsula had halted the advance of the Iraqi tanks overnight and on Tuesday morning. "They were aided by small helicopter gunships...

Tue Mar 25, 4:37 PM ET British Royal Marines, of 42 Commando, stand guard at a check point in Umm Qasr, Iraq (news - web sites) Monday, March 24, 2003. (AP Photo/Dave Husbands, Pool)

A YOUNG Iraqi boy in a torn red T-shirt was the first to show his face yesterday. He peered out from behind a gate, unsure what to do as two Royal Marine commandos strode down the muddy street towards him. Marine Andrew Chilvers dropped to one knee, rested his machinegun on the ground and beckoned the boy. He then held out a chocolate bar. The boy hungrily tore off the wrapper, calling for his brothers and sisters to join him. Soon the 21-year-old commando from Middlesbrough was surrounded by outstretched hands. “If only winning the rest of Iraq was...

Royal Marines were deployed to Iraq's border with Iran yesterday in a move that will unnerve Teheran's regime, which fears encirclement by American-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Full Article

The United States general who will command British troops in battle told thousands of soldiers gathered for a desert parade yesterday that he was thankful for their presence in the looming conflict with Iraq. Lt-Gen James Conway, the commander of 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, addressed more than 4,000 men and women from the 7th Armoured Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade, who assembled with Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles. "About 225 years ago in my country the expression 'The British are coming' was used to scare the children," he said at Camp Coyote in northern Kuwait "I can...

The Royal Navy is planning its biggest amphibious landing operation since the Falklands as the main British effort in a war to topple Saddam Hussein in the new year. The whole of the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade, which made up the bulk of the landing force in the Falklands, will join United States forces to seize the strategically vital southern port of Basra, Iraq's second city. Allied commanders regard the capture of Basra, along with its docks at the head of the Gulf and two airfields, as extremely important to the invasion. The amphibious force being assembled for the...

SAS troops have killed scores of al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in search-and-destroy missions across the mountains of south-eastern Afghanistan, according to senior military officials. Two SAS squadrons - a total of about 100 soldiers - have been operating on their own, without American minders, in rugged mountainous terrain over the past few months, the sources say. But unlike operations involving American or Australian special forces or Royal Marine commandos - who began returning home yesterday - the discussion of SAS operations are covered by an official blanket ban by the Ministry of Defence. Four SAS soldiers were wounded, one of...

LONDON, May 20, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The embattled commander of the British marine forces in Afghanistan is to be replaced amid claims he mishandled operations, lost the confidence of his men and infuriated British and U.S. officials. The Ministry of Defense said Brig. Gen. Roger Lane will be reassigned next month to unspecified staff duties. Brig. Gen. Jim Dutton will take over the force of about 1,000 Royal Marines. The Ministry of Defense said the move was not related to political controversy surrounding Lane, but the move was seen widely in London as one step short of...

<p>BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Eighteen British soldiers at the Bagram air base have been sickened with a mysterious, contagious illness that resembles meningitis, and 350 military personnel have been quarantined to prevent it from spreading.</p> <p>Brig. Rodger Lane, spokesman for the Royal Marines, said two of the 18 victims have been airlifted out of Afghanistan in very serious condition, and their next of kin have been notified.</p>