US Marine Corporal Alex Domion

21-year-old US Marine Corporal Alex F. Domion, from Richfield Springs, New York, died in Helmand province on 31st October 2012. The cause of his non-combat related death is being investigated. 

Cpl. Domion served with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune. 

He joined the Marine Corps in 2009 and was 2 weeks into his second tour of Afghanistan when he died.

More information to follow.

NATO service member dies in southern Afghanistan

A NATO service member died in southern Afghanistan on 31st October 2012. The death is non-combat related.

The serviceman has been identified as US Marine Corporal Alex F. Domion

British Army Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter

British Army Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter, serving with 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR) was one of two soldiers shot and killed by a man wearing an Afghan Police uniform who had been at a meeting with them at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on 30th October 2012. Lt. Drummond-Baxter was attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines.

29-year-old Lieutenant Drummond-Baxter was born in Peterborough. He studied at University College London and gained a BSc degree in Psychology. While at university he was an active member of his local Army Reserves regiment, The Honourable Artillery Company.

Before joining the British Army, he spent two years working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including a posting to Japan. He was commissioned into 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in December 2010 and passed the arduous Jungle Warfare Course in Brunei to qualify as Jungle Operations Instructor.

Lieutenant Colonel David Robinson, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, said: "Our battalion has lost a character, a true gentleman and an inspirational leader in Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter. Edward or 'DB', as he was often known, was one of life's true personalities; his Gurkha soldiers noticeably responded to his dedication to them but also to his great wit and humour. They would follow him anywhere."

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Jackson Royal Marines, Commanding Officer 40 Commando Royal Marines, said: "Edward was a remarkably talented officer. He readily accepted the challenges placed before him and was so demonstrably proud to be serving in Delhi Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles. I saw at first hand the way in which he capably led his men through the training prior to deployment and the way that his Gurkhas responded to his leadership style; they had clearly made an exceptional bond."

He leaves behind his mother, Helen, father, David and sister, Emily.

The other soldier killed was Gurkha Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar.

British Gurkha Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar

British Army Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar, serving with 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR) was one of two soldiers shot and killed by a man wearing an Afghan Police uniform who had been at a meeting with them at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on 30th October 2012. L-Cpl. Siddhanta was attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines.

28-year-old Lance Corporal Siddhanta was born in Pokhara, Nepal. He passed the arduous selection for the Brigade of Gurkhas in December 2004 and having completed his year-long infantry training joined 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in October 2005.

Soon after his arrival in 1 RGR he deployed with the Battalion to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2005-2006 as part of the European Union Force in support of the Bosnian Government. He then moved with 1 RGR to Brunei where he conducted extensive jungle training and qualified as a sniper in 2007. This was his third deployment to Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel David Robinson. Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurhka Rifles, said: "Siddhanta Kunwar was a great character and a tough, professional Gurkha soldier with a proven and impressive operational record. Strong and highly experienced, he stood out from the crowd not only as a highly capable sniper but also for his smile and sense of fun, whatever the situation he found himself in."

Lance Corporal Siddhanta's family said: "We are deeply shocked, disheartened and in disbelief that Siddhanta is no longer with us But we shall treasure all the good things he did. He enjoyed immensely of his profession and was fully committed towards it. He has made us proud. The whole family misses him dearly."

He leaves behind his mother, Krishna Maya Kunwar, his father, Shyam Kumar Kunwar, stepmother Chhali Devi Kunwar, his four sisters; Shova, Shyandya, Smita and Sardha Kunwar and his elder brother Bhupendra Kunwar.

The other soldier killed was Gurkha officer Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter.

Fallen British soldiers arrive back in the UK

Hundreds of tearful mourners stood in silence as the bodies of Corporal David O'Connor, 27, from 40 Commando Royal Marines and Corporal Channing Day, 25, from 3 Medical Regiment arrived from Afghanistan at RAF Brize Norton before being driven along the 'Highway for Heroes' in the town of Carterton in Oxfordshire.

Families and friends of the two fallen soldiers, along with hundreds of other mourners, openly wept as the funeral cortege passed them. Many laid red and white roses on the coffins.

A Royal Air Force C17 Globemaster transporter plane carrying the bodies landed at RAF Brize Norton at 1.30pm on Tuesday 30th October. Later in the day, two black hearses slowly made their way into town and onward to the hospital.

At around the same time this was happening, news broke that two more British soldiers - both from the Royal Gurkha Rifles - had lost their lives in Afghanistan.

Two British Gurkhas killed by Afghan policeman

Two British soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles were shot and killed by a man wearing Afghan Police uniform at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province earlier today, Tuesday 30th October 2012. 

British and Afghan officials confirmed the killer wore a police uniform, but it was not known if he was a genuine member of the force, or an insurgent fighter in disguise. The killer fled and is now being hunted. 

The two soldiers have been named as: Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar.

Two NATO troops killed by Afghan policeman

Tuesday 30th October: A man wearing an Afghan police uniform killed two NATO troops in southern Afghanistan today.

The killing is the latest in a string of insider attacks that have threatened to sever the partnership between international troops and the Afghan forces they are trying to train.

At least 53 NATO troops have been killed in attacks by Afghan soldiers or police this year, and a number of other assaults are still under investigation, the international alliance has said.

Latest: the two are confirmed to be British troops serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

More information to follow.

Video - Burial of US Army Sergeant Thomas MacPherson

Family and friends joined together for the burial of Sergeant Thomas MacPherson, from the 75th Ranger Regiment, who was killed in action on 12th October leading an assault on an enemy position in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Repatriation of fallen British soldiers

We have been advised by RAF Brize Norton that the Repatriations of Corporal David O'Connor, of 40 Commando, and Corporal Channing Day, of 3 Medical Regiment will take place on Tuesday 30th October 2012.

The aircraft will land at approx 1.30pm and the cortege will pass the Memorial Garden between 4.00-4.30pm, reaching the John Radcliffe Hospital between 5.00-5.30pm

Norton Way will be closed from approx 1.30pm, whilst Station Road, Brize Norton, will be closed for approximately 10 minutes once the cortege leaves Britannia Gate at RAF Brize Norton.

There will be road closures in place at the Marston Ferry Road / Cherwell Drive Junction, Marston Road / Cherwell Drive Junction, and at the mini roundabout by the entrance to the John Radcliffe Hospital. Please expect severe delays in this area whilst the road closures are in operation.

Funeral of British Army Sergeant Gareth Thursby

THOUSANDS thronged the funeral route of a fallen British soldier - shot dead in Afghanistan - who was known simply to his comrades as ‘Dad’. 

And in tribute to Sergeant Gareth Thursby,  around 120 of his fellow soldiers jetted in to march in his honour. 

His wife Louise, at his full military funeral in Skipton, said that, after his family, ‘his job and his lads were his life’. 

Read the full article at the Lancashire Telegraph

US Army Sergeant Clinton K. Ruiz

22-year-old US Army Sergeant Clinton K. Ruiz from California, was killed in action along with another US Army NCO on 25th October 2012 in Oruzgan Province when their unit was attacked by enemy forces.

Sgt. Ruiz served with the 9th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne) based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joined the Army in May 2009. On completion of his training he attended the Psychological Operations Advanced Individual Training and Korean Language School at Ft. Bragg, and graduated in August 2010. He deployed to Afghanistan in September this year.

His medals and honours include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghan Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Parachutist Badge. 

He leaves his wife Kira and his 14-month-old son Caleb, along with many other relatives and friends.

The other soldier killed was Staff Sergeant Kashif  M. Memon.

US Army Staff Sergeant Kashif M. Memon

31-year-old US Army Staff Sergeant Kashif M. Memon from Houston, Texas, was killed in action along with another US Army NCO on 25th October 2012 in Oruzgan Province when their unit was attacked by enemy forces.

SSgt Memom served with the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He joined the US Marine Corps in 2001 and deployed on several overseas combat missions including Afghanistan. In 2007, he joined the Army as an Infantryman and volunteered to work in Civil Affairs. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan with the Civil Affairs Battalion.

The other soldier killed was Sergeant Clinton Ruiz. 

British Army Corporal Channing Day

25-year-old British Army Corporal Channing Amanda Day was one of two British soldiers killed on 24th October 2012 during a patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province. The two were killed when their patrol came under fire.

Serving with 3 Medical Regiment, Corporal Day deployed to Afghanistan in October 2012 as a Combat Medical Technician Class One with the United Kingdom Medical Group. She was based at Patrol Base One in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where she provided medical support to 40 Commando Royal Marines.

Corporal Day was a popular and well respected member of 3 Medical Regiment. A veteran of previous Iraq and Afghanistan deployments, she was looked up to, especially by more junior soldiers in her Squadron, as a mature voice of experience and good advice.

Lieutenant Colonel Phillip de Rouffignac, Commanding Officer, 3 Medical Regiment said: "Corporal Channing Day was a star for the future. Although only 25, she had recently been promoted to Corporal, and her current operational experience in Iraq and Afghanistan made her a natural choice for the demanding role she was undertaking in support of 40 Commando Royal Marines.

"Hugely popular with her friends in Preston, Catterick and in Afghanistan, Corporal Channing Day made the most of everything and had lived a lifetime in a short time. An Army footballer, she was a real team player in every sense."

Corporal Day is survived by her parents, Leslie and Rosemary Day, her sisters, Lauren and Laken, and brother Aaron.

RM Commando Corporal David O'Connor

27-year-old Royal Marine Corporal David O'Connor was one of two British soldiers killed on 24th October 2012 during a patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province. The two were killed when their patrol came under fire.

Corporal O'Connor was born on 16 June 1985 and lived in Hampshire with his mother. He joined the Royal Marines in 2002 and after nine months arduous training passed for duty as a Royal Marines Commando. This was his third deployment to Afghanistan.

Described as "an outstanding Royal Marines Commando." He displayed true Commando spirit in all that he did and was ferociously dedicated to his men, his Company and the Royal Marines. He was an inspirational leader and an excellent soldier.

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Jackson Royal Marines, Commanding Officer, 40 Commando Royal Marines said that Corporal O'Connor was "utterly professional, his four operational tours of Iraq and Afghanistan marked him as one of the most devoted individuals in the Commando. Brave, committed and humorous it is difficult to find words that can possibly fill the void which has been left by this truly excellent junior commander; his loss is difficult to comprehend. His career was dedicated to the service of his country and to the lives of the Royal Marines with whom he served."

He leaves behind his mother, Rosemary; brother, Phil; father, Roy (known to all as George) and a loving family.

Russia tries to find the graves of missing soldiers

Russia is trying to get Afghanistan to help find the graves of missing Russian soldiers from the 1979-89 war.

The Russians lost around 15,000 troops, while 1.5 million Afghans died during the 1979-89 Russian occupation of the country.

Click here for full story at Strategy Page