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11 UK soldiers gunned down in Helmand in past three months, compared to two in the same period last year... British soldiers in Afghanistan claim that new tactics are preventing them shooting at the Taliban until they have been fired at themselves – resulting in an alarming rise in the number of casualties. ... Soldiers now say they are particularly vulnerable when they are manning checkpoints at road junctions or patrolling Taliban heartlands such as the so-called ‘green zone’, a densely vegetated river valley. One junior non-commissioned officer said: ‘When I arrived in Helmand, my officers said our tactics were...

A rogue Afghan police officer opened fire on British soldiers, killing five and injuring six, after a row over a hat he turned up in for duty, an inquest heard. The man, known only as Gulbuddin, shot soldiers who were mentoring Afghan police officers at a checkpoint in Helmand province. The inquest heard claims that Afghan police officers were open to corruption, sometimes lacked commitment and were high on drugs while on duty. In one episode outlined during the hearing an Afghan police officer gave ammunition to the Taliban in exchange for narcotics. It also emerged that the British men...

Britain risks losing the war in Afghanistan because commanders are more concerned with protecting soldiers than defeating the Taliban, a senior army officer has warned. The officer lashed out at the British strategy in southern province of Helmand, where the UK troops are stationed as part of the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan. The senior army officer said soldiers are now laden with equipment they are incapable of launching effective attacks against insurgents. According to anonymous officer, the Taliban have dubbed British troops "donkeys" who move in a tactical "waddle" because they now carry an average weight of 110lbs worth of...

<p>Investigators are searching for an Afghan National Army soldier who shot a rocket at British soldiers in Helmand province, killing three and injuring four others early Tuesday morning, an Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman said.</p> <p>"We believe these were the actions of a lone individual who has betrayed his ISAF and Afghan comrades," a U.K. military spokesman said. "His whereabouts are currently unknown but we are making strenuous efforts to find him."</p>

Here is raw video of British Soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan suddenly coming under attack from Taliban fighters. The soldiers were talking to each other and the camera when they started taking fire and began running for cover as they yelled " Push back! Fall Back! Move back!" . . . (VIDEO)

British-based Islamist radicals are targeting Army soldiers - especially snipers - returning from fighting in southern Afghanistan, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. In one case, a police armed response unit was called to the home of a sniper last September amid fears he was about to be murdered or abducted by al-Qaeda terrorists. The Corporal, serving with a Scottish Regiment, was one of a two-man sniping team which shot dead 32 Taliban fighters during a six-month tour of Afghanistan. The soldier – whom this newspaper has agreed not to name – was temporarily forced to leave home his wife and...

Five soldiers have been shot dead by a "rogue" Afghan policeman in an attack at a police checkpoint. Three Grenadier Guards and two Royal Military Police were attacked as they rested inside a compound. The soldiers, who had removed their body armour and helmets, were shot by an Afghan national policeman who then fled. It is not known whether he was a member of the Taliban or being coerced by the insurgents.

ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England — The 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iran said Friday they were blindfolded, kept in isolation and warned that if they didn't admit being in Iranian waters they faced up to seven years in jail. "We were interrogated most nights and given two options," the crew said in an agreed statement read at a press conference. "If we admitted that we had strayed, we would be back on a plane to the UK pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison," they revealed. The group insisted they were...

LONDON (Reuters) - Nine British soldiers investigated over a filmed assault on Iraqi civilians after a riot in 2004 will not face criminal charges, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. Video footage aired in February last year showed British troops beating and kicking four Iraqi men seized from a crowd of rioters, minutes after a mortar bomb attack on their camp in Al Amarah in southern Iraq. Two soldiers were seen kicking the body of a dead Iraqi. The footage was released by the News of the World and shown widely on British and Arab television. The images sparked...

British soldiers training for Iraq are saying "bang bang" instead of firing their grenade launchers because the Ministry of Defence did not buy enough, defence sources said yesterday. The MoD did not have the money to order sufficient Under-Barrel Grenade Launchers for the SA80 rifle, so all those available have had to be sent to Iraq. British soldiers stationed in Basra They also failed to buy any training rounds so soldiers cannot be trained on the weapon until they reach Iraq. They are having similar problems with the Minimi Light Machinegun because there are no blank attachments, which allow blank...

<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>