Spanish soldiers killed in Helicopter crash

16th Aug. 2005: 17 Spanish peacekeepers were killed when a helicopter crashed during training in western Afghanistan. Five soldiers were also wounded when a second Spanish helicopter taking part in the exercise made an emergency landing as the first one plunged to the ground near the main western city of Herat.

The aircraft, a Cougar, came down in the province of Herat, "in a very mountainous region, although the impact occurred on flat ground. It is unclear whether the crash was an accident or the result of a terrorist attack.

Taliban militants in June shot down a US helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, killing all 16 aboard. But western Afghanistan, where the latest crash happened, is regarded as much more peaceful.

Pictured left are 8 of the fatalities: Cpl. Daniel Fernandez; Cpl. Gonzalo Nazara; Pvt. Isaac Pineiro; Pvt. Pedro de Veira; Pvt. Ivan Nunez; Pvt. Jesus Rivera; Pvt. Pablo Sanchez; Jose Parada.

The soldiers were all members of the 4th Helicopter Battalion and the Light Infantry, 29th Air Mobile Brigade.

Click here to see the other soldiers killed

Helicopter crash kills 17 Spanish troops

16th Aug. 2005: 17 Spanish peacekeepers were killed when a helicopter crashed during training in western Afghanistan. Five soldiers were also wounded when a second Spanish helicopter taking part in the exercise made an emergency landing as the first one plunged to the ground near the main western city of Herat.

The aircraft, a Cougar, came down in the province of Herat, "in a very mountainous region, although the impact occurred on flat ground. It is unclear whether the crash was an accident or the result of a terrorist attack.

Taliban militants in June shot down a US helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, killing all 16 aboard. But western Afghanistan, where the latest crash happened, is regarded as much more peaceful.

Pictured left are 8 of the fatalities: Lt. Javier Hernandez; Sgt. Jose Bernadino; Captain David Fernandez; Briadier Juan Perra; Pvt. Pedro Cabera; Pvt. Diego Blanco; Pvt. Diego Lopez and Pvt. Jose Enriquez.

Another soldier killed in the crash was named as Alfredo Jodar (no photo available).

The soldiers were all members of the 4th Helicopter Battalion and the Light Infantry, 29th Air Mobile Brigade.

Click here to see the other soldiers killed

German Army Corporal Boris Nowitzki

German Army Corporal Boris Nowitzki was killed on 7th August 2005 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Cpl. Nowitzki, serving with 345 Panzer Artillery Battalion, died in a traffic accident.

German Army Sergeant Christian Schlotterhose

German Army Sergeant Christian Schlotterhose, age 26, was one of two soldiers killed on 26th June 2005 in Takhar province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Schlotterhose, serving with PRT-Team Kunduz, died from the blast of an accidental ordnance explosion.

German Army Sergeant Andreas Heine

German Army Sergeant Andreas Heine, age 37, was one of two soldiers killed on 26th June 2005 in Takhar province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Heine, serving with PRT-Team Kunduz, died from the blast of an accidental ordnance explosion.

Aid worker Christin Gadeu

Christin Gadeu, aged 26, was killed 3rd February 2005 in an air crash involving a civilian airliner flying from Herat. It crashed near Kabul.

She was in Afghanistan with Management in Sciences for Health (MSH), an American non-profit organisation, helping to improve the country's public health system.

Aid worker Amy Lynn Meeks

Amy Lynn Meeks, aged 29, was killed 3rd February 2005 in an air crash involving a civilian airliner flying from Herat. It crashed near Kabul.

She was in Afghanistan with Management in Sciences for Health (MSH), an American non-profit organisation, helping to improve the country's public health system.

Civilian Health worker, Carmen Urdaneta

Ms. Urdaneta

Carmen Urdaneta, aged 32, was killed 3rd February 2005 in an air crash involving a civilian airliner flying from Herat. It crashed near Kabul.

She was in Afghanistan with Management in Sciences for Health (MSH), an American non-profit organisation, helping to improve the country's public health system.

Italian Navy officer, Commander Bruno Vianini

Italian Navy officer, Commander Bruno Vianini, aged 41, was killed on 3rd February 2005 in a plane crash.

He was on a passenger plane flying between Kabul and Herat when the aircraft crashed.

Cmd. Vianini was in Afghanistan with the Italian Special Operations Force.

Italian Army Corporal-Major, Bruno Giovanni

Cpl. Giovanni

Italian Army Corporal-Major, Bruno Giovanni aged 24, was killed on 3rd October 2004 in a road accident.

The incident happened on the outskirts of Kabul.

He served with the Italian 3rd Alpine Regiment.

Five Aid Workers shot Badghis Province

Five Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff were killed 2nd June 2004 while traveling on the road between Khairkhana and Qala-I-Naw in Badghis province.

They were: Hélène de Beir, Belgian national, Project Coordinator; Willem Kwint, Dutch national, Logistician; Egil Tynaes, Norwegian national, Medical Doctor; Fasil Ahmad, Afghan national, Translator; Besmillah, Afghan national, Driver.

L-R: Helene, Willem, Egil, Fasil, Besmillah

Statement by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reads: They departed from Khairkhana at 1500 hours in a Toyota Landcruiser. Radio contact should have been established at 1545 hours, but this contact was not established. Two cars were sent to check for the vehicle, one departing from Khairkhana, the second from Qala-I-Naw. The vehicle was located at approximately 1720, about 25 minutes from Khairkhana in the direction of Qala-I-Naw. 

Initial reports from local elders suggested a tragedy had occurred. Through the efforts of the local community the vehicle was brought back to the MSF compound in Khairkhana. The vehicle was back in the compound by 1945 hours and the remaining four expatriate team members and our national staff team confirmed the shooting of our five colleagues.

The condition of the vehicle was described as having been shot through the front windscreen, through the front passenger window, and through the back windscreen. There was also shrapnel embedded in the side of the vehicle, indicating a grenade had been detonated.

It is impossible for us to give any further details as we simply don't know anything more about what happened. Nor do we know who is behind the killings or the motives for it.

Norwegian Grenadier, Tommy Roedningsby

Grenadier, Tommy Roedningsby

Norwegian Grenadier, Tommy Roedningsby, aged 29, was killed on 23rd May 2004 after Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy of four vehicles.

The insurgents opened fire with rocket propelled grenades and small arms. One of three RPG shells fired missed the convoy. Another landed without detonating. The third shell, however, hit the rear of an unarmoured Merceded field vehicle fatally wounding Grenadier Roedningsby.

The incident happened in Kabul.

Australian helicopter pilot, Captain Mark Burdorf

45-year-old Australian helicopter pilot Captain Mark Burdorf, from Adelaide, was killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan when a helicopter he was operating for US construction company Louis Berger Group came under fire from Taliban insurgents on the ground.

The incident occurred in Panjway, about 50km from Kandahar.

Two passengers on the helicopter were also believed to have been injured.

French aid worker, Bettina Goislard shot dead

Bettina Goislard

Bettina Goislard (11 November 1974 - 16 November 2003) was a French employee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), assigned to its mission in Afghanistan.

She was involved in the UNHCR's efforts to help about 50,000 displaced Afghan refugees return to their homes in and around the city of Ghazni.

On 16 November 2003, while driving through the streets of Ghazni in a clearly identified UNHCR vehicle, she was shot at point-blank range by two men on a motorcycle. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital some minutes later. Her two assailants were caught and beaten by a local crowd, and then taken into custody by local security forces.

On 18 November, the Taliban claimed responsibility for her murder, citing Goislard's Christianity as their motivation. Two days later, in accordance with her wishes, Bettina Goislard was buried in Kabul.

Romanian Sergeant-Major Mihail Anton Samuilă

Mihail Anton Samuilă

Sergeant-Major Mihail Anton Samuilă, aged 35, died on 14th November 2003, after sustaining serious injuries when the Army convoy he was in was ambushed by Taliban insurgents on 11th November. The insurgents opened fire with machineguns and rocket propelled grenades.

The incident happened near the town of Spin Boldak.

Sgt-Maj Samuilă served with the 151st Infantry Battalion 'Razboieni', also known as the 'Black Wolves'.

Another Romanian soldier, Sergeant Major Iosif-Silviu Fogorasi was killed in the same attack. Both men were posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.