US Marine Corporal Conner Lowry

US Marine Corporal Conner Lowry, age 24, was killed in Afghanistan on 1st March 2012 during combat ops in Helmand province. Cpl. Lowry was from the Chicago area and was a graduate from Brother Rice High School. The circumstances surrounding his death are currently unknown.

He served with the California-based 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment.

Cpl. Lowry's family told reporters the 6 feet 5 inch tall former football player loved rock 'n roll music and had a large network of family and friends. They said he had been a Marine for nearly three years and had just four months to go before being discharged.

His personal service awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two silver star devices, and the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan with bronze star device.

Two American troops killed in southern Afghanistan

Two American troops were killed in southern Afghanistan today, 1st March 2012, by an individual dressed as an Afghan Army soldier. This is the latest in a series of recent attacks on foreign troops by either Afghan Army or Afghan Police personnel.

More information to follow.

USAF Lt. Colonel John Loftis

44-year-old US Air Force Lt. Col. John D. Loftis, from Paducah, Kentucky, was one of two US military officers killed on 25th February 2012 by an Afghan national inside the Interior Ministry in Kabul.

The high-ranking officer was assigned to the 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron, Kabul, Afghanistan.

After graduating from Calloway County High School in 1986, Lt. Col. Loftis attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1990. He was commissioned by the Air Force in 1996. He served in the Peace Corp for two years.

More to follow.

Maryland National Guard Major Robert Marchanti

US Army Major Robert J. Marchanti II of the Maryland Army National Guard was killed on 25th February 2012 at the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul.

48-year-old Major Marchanti served with the 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Division Security Partnering Team. He had been working since September as a mentor to the Afghan National Police. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

He joined the Army in 1984 and the Maryland National Guard in 1986. He leaves his wife, four children and a grandson.

US Army Sergeant Joshua Born

25-year-old US Army Sergeant Joshua A. Born, from Niceville, Florida, was killed on 23rd February 2012, in Nangarhar province, by an individual dressed as an Afghan Army soldier who turned his weapon on Sgt. Born and his colleague, Sgt. Timothy Conrad Jr.

Sgt. Born served with the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps. He joined the Army in March 2007 and deployed to Afghanistan in January this year.

Sgt. Born was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Action Badge and NATO Medal. He leaves his wife Megan, his parents and other family members.

US Army Sergeant Timothy Conrad

22-year-old US Army Sergeant Timothy J. Conrad Jr., from Roanoke, Virginia, was killed on 23rd February 2012, in Nangarhar province, by an individual dressed as an Afghan Army soldier who turned his weapon on Sgt. Conrad and his colleague, Sgt. Joshua Born.

Sgt. Conrad (who was posthumously promoted), served with the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps.

Sgt. Conrad was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Action Badge and NATO Medal. He leaves his wife, Holly and their 7 month old son, Bentley, his mother, Mikki Wray, father Tim Conrad Sr., sisters Alex Conrad and Amanda Meland and brother, Austin Wray.

Two NATO soldiers killed in Kabul

Two Nato soldiers have reportedly been killed in a shooting at the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul - as more die in a fifth day of violent mass protests over the burning of Korans at a Nato base.

The heavily barricaded ministry in the centre of the Afghan capital has been sealed off with reports that the victims were a US military Colonel and Major.

A Nato statement said: "Initial reports indicate an individual turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members in Kabul City today, killing two service members."

The Interior Ministry confirmed: "two of our international colleagues were killed inside the compound of the interior ministry. The ministry is investigating."

Read full story at SkyNews

Two US Military Policemen killed in Nangahar

Two US Army Military Policemen were killed on 23rd February 2012 from small-arms fire in Nangahar province.

25-year-old Sergeant Joshua Born from Florida and Sergeant Timothy Conrad Jr from Virginia both served with the 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Funeral of fallen Gurkha Lance Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung

More than a thousand people have gathered in Aldershot for the funeral of a Gurkha soldier killed in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung, from 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, was on his third tour of Afghanistan when he was shot in January.

Gaj had joined the Gurkhas in 2004 and this was his third tour of Afghanistan. He had been on foot patrol in the Khar Nikah region of the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province working with the Afghan police. More than a thousand people gathered for his service, which took place at Princes Hall in Aldershot.

Two NATO personnel killed by Afghan Army soldier

KABUL (23 February 2012): an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform shot and killed two NATO/ISAF service members today.


The victims, both US Army Military Policemen, were later identified as: Sergeant Joshua Born and Sergeant Timothy Conrad.

US Army Sergeant Allen R. McKenna Jr

28-year-old US Army Sergeant Allen R. McKenna Jr., from Noble, Oklahoma, died on 21st February 2012 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. McKenna joined the US Army in September 2004 and served with the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan.

His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal twice and the Army Achievement Medal.

3 Georgian soldiers killed in action

Three soldiers from Georgia were killed in action on 21st February 2012 during a combat mission in Helmand province.

The three servicemen were named as Corporal Beraia Valiko, Corporal Meladze Ruslan and Corporal Kacharava Paata. They were killed when their combat vehicle exploded following an insurgent attack.

All three served in the 31st Light Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade.

More information to follow.

British military cemetery in Kabul

A local Afghan has been caring for the graves of British troops killed in the country during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Abdul Samay tends to the Kabul compound where soldiers who died in previous conflicts in Afghanistan were laid to rest.

His father also maintained the land before him, although he had to pretend he was there just to graze cattle for fear of reprisals.

The cemetery was badly damaged under the Taliban who destroyed gravestones and desecrated graves, but restoration work has been undertaken to repair some of this.

Funding led by the British Embassy means Abdul can continue to look after the cemetery.

Albania - list of military fatalities

List of Albanian military fatalities in Afghanistan:

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
2012
20-Feb	Vogli, Feti	Captain	30	1 Company, Special Forces Btn	Hostile fire

Albanian Army Captain killed by Afghan police

Albanian Army Captain Feti Vogli, age 30, was killed in southern Afghanistan on 20th February 2012 while escorting a USAID team to a meeting with local Afghan officials.

Afghan police officers, who were accompanying the group, opened fire on the NATO troops. Captain Vogli died later at a hospital in Kandahar whilst a second Albanian soldier was in a coma at the hospital.

Captain Vogli was born in Baldushk, near Tirana. He graduated from the Albanian Military Academy specializing in Army Artillery. He completed the Special Forces Course in 2005 and joined the Special Forces Battalion as Group Commander.

He leaves his wife Alva and their 2-year-old daughter Egi.