Midlands marine killed by schoolboy bomber in Afghanistan
Midlands marine Damian Davies, killed in Afghanistan
The Prime Minister, on a surprise visit to Afghanistan today, expressed his “disgust and horror” at the Taliban’s “cowardly” use of a child.
Reports suggest that the boy approached the Marines pushing a wheelbarrow in which a bomb was hidden under papers.
He died as a result of the explosion, but it is not yet known if he was a suicide bomber or if the bomb was detonated remotely.
The explosion killed Sgt Manuel and Cpl Birch at the scene, while Marine Davies died later in hospital at Camp Bastion.
Gordon Brown said his thoughts were with the family and friends of those who died.
“These men will never be forgotten for what they have achieved on behalf of our country,” he said.
“It was a pretty cowardly act by the Taliban to use a 13-year-old child as a suicide bomber,” he added. “There is disgust and horror at these tactics being used.”
Mr Brown told troops at Camp Bastion, in Musa Qala, southern Afghanistan, that their efforts were helping combat the terrorist threat in Britain.
“We are safer in Britain, the people of Britain are safer because of what you do there, checking the Taliban, operating as the frontline against them, making sure that they can’t make advances, holding them in and holding al Qaida in as well,” he said.
Speaking at the unit’s base in Arbroath, Major Spike Kelly paid tribute to the dead men.
“These men were highly professional and thoroughly committed commandos and their loss will be felt extremely keenly by the whole unit, by 3 Commando Brigade and the wider Royal Marines and Royal Navy communities,” he said.
“They were an enormous credit to their unit, to the Royal Marines and to the Armed Forces as a whole.”
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said the loss would be keenly felt in Arbroath.
“This is a dreadful tragedy, and our heartfelt condolences go to the families and friends of the men who have lost their lives,” he said.
“But it is a close-knit local community which will rally round all those most closely affected.”
