FOUR British soldiers drowned when a combat vehicle rolled off the road into a canal in Afghanistan, in the second such incident in two months.
Colleagues travelling in a second Ridgback heavy armoured vehicle on Wednesday night were unable to rescue the men. Their bodies were later retrieved from the Nar-e-Bughra canal in Helmand province.
The Ministry of Defence said that it would not be conducting a specific review of the 19-tonne Ridgback, which offers better protection from roadside bombs than lighter, less armoured vehicles, but is more difficult to manoeuvre on broken roads. Nevertheless, it is understood that all vehicles are kept under constant review to assess their use on operations.
The losses pushed the death toll for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan in June to 79, including five Australians, making it the deadliest month for the alliance in nearly nine years of war.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is in Canada for the G8 summit, acknowledged that Britain was paying a high price and warned of a difficult summer ahead. However, he said: “We would be in a worse situation if we were to suddenly change track now and pull forces out and see a country that is seeing a bit more stability dragged back into instability and terror.”
Enemy action is not thought to have played a part in the deaths of the three soldiers from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment and one from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. The Ministry of Defence said the incident, believed to be accidental, was under investigation.
Last month Lance Corporal Barry Buxton died after his Ridgback armoured vehicle rolled into the same, canal, which is key to the irrigation of central Helmand.
Britain has ordered about 180 Ridgbacks, which are a modified version of the Cougar armoured vehicle made by the American manufacturer Force Protection.
The Ridgback is easier to drive on Afghanistan’s battered roads than heavier vehicles with optimum armour protection, such as Challenger tanks. Questions might be raised, however, as to why two Ridgbacks have rolled into the same canal.
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