Danish soldier killed in tragic accident

Pvt. Morten Jensen

Danish soldier, Private Morten Krogh Jensen, aged 21, was accidently killed by machine-gun fire from a comrade on 24th February 2008. Private Jensen was serving with the Danish Royal Life Guards division.

According to witnesses, the soldier responsible for the killing had committed several gross misdemeanors with his machine gun in the moments leading up to the fatal accident.

The soldier responsible, a corporal in the Royal Guard's division, reportedly attempted to take his own life immediately after the incident. He was prevented from doing so by other members of the company.

Italian Army Warrant Officer Giovanni Pezzulo

WO Pezzulo

Italian Army Warrant Officer Giovanni Pezzulo, aged 44, was killed on 13th February 2008 in a gun battle with Taliban insurgents at Rudbar, about sixty kilometres from Kabul.

WO Pezzulo's unit was distributing food and medicine to civilians when they came under attack. He had been in the army since 1980. Originally from Carinola in the province of Caserta, WO Pezzulo was resident at Oderzo in the province of Treviso and was serving with the Cimic Group South based at Motta di Livenza.

He had been in Afghanistan since December 2007 and was due to return to Italy in April.

He leaves a wife, Maria D’Agostino, and an 18-year-old daughter, Giusi, who live at Oderzo.

Portugal military fatalities - list

PORTUGAL

Full list of military fatalities since 2002

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
24-Nov-07	Pedrosa, Sérgio Miguel Oliveira	Private	22	10th Infantry	Accident
18-Nov-05	Pereira, Joao Paul Roma	Sergeant	33	Not reported	IED attack

American aid worker kidnapped, feared dead

Cyd Mizell, an American woman teaching in Afghanistan was kidnapped on her way to work on January 26, 2008. On February 27, 2008, the aid group she worked for, Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, reported that she was apparently dead. 

Witnesses report seeing 6 gunmen involved in her abduction. Nobody has ever claimed responsibility for her kidnapping and no body has ever been found.

Norwegian journalist, Carsten Thomassen

Carsten Thomassen

Carsten Thomassen, a respected Norwegian journalist and war correspondent for the Norwegian daily Dagbladet, was killed in a terrorist attack at the Kabul Serena Hotel, January 15th 2008.

On January 14th, he was covering Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonar Gahr Store's visit to Kabul. Store and his entourage were staying at the Serena Hotel. While Thomassen was waiting to meet Støre in the lobby, at least two Taliban terrorists forced their way into the Serena Hotel by killing the guards posted outside the main entrance using hand grenades. At least one of the terrorists was dressed in an Afghan police uniform, which may have delayed the reaction of the PST bodyguards inside the hotel.

Thomassen was wounded in the arm, leg and stomach. Once the firing died down, he received first aid from VG photographer Harald Henden, Aftenposten reporter Tor Arne Andreassen, and others.

In the confusion following the attack, he was not evacuated until almost two hours later. He went into shock in the ambulance, and died shortly after while undergoing surgery at a nearby field hospital operated by Czech ISAF forces. 

Due to the nature of his injuries, it is doubtful that he would have survived even if he had been evacuated earlier.

At least six other people were killed in the attack, in addition to the terrorists themselves.

Aid worker killed in Kabul hotel shootings

Thor Hesla

Thor Hesla was among six dead in a Taliban attack on the Hotel Serena, Kabul, on 14th January 2008. Hesla was in Afghanistan working for USAID.

The Taliban said it was behind the attack that killed him, carried out by suicide bombers and gunmen. Six other people were killed at Kabul's Serena hotel that day including journalist, Carsten Thomassen.

Dutch Corporal Aldert Poortema

NETHERLANDS
Name:	Aldert Poortema
Age:	22
Rank:	Corporal
Unit:	44th Armored Infantry
Location:	Uruzgan province, Afghanistan
Date:	12 January 2008
Cause:	Gunshot wound from friendly fire incident

Dutch Pfc. Wesley Schol

NETHERLANDS
Name:	Wesley Schol
Age:	20
Rank:	Private 1st Class
Unit:	44th Armored Infantry
Location:	Uruzgan province, Afghanistan
Date:	12 January 2008
Cause:	Gunshot wound in friendly fire incident

UK Military fatalities 2007

British military fatalities - 2007

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
2007
08-Dec	Johnson, Lee	Sergeant	33	2nd Yorkshire Regiment	IED attack
04-Dec	Sadler, Jack	Trooper	21	Honourable Artillery Coy	IED attack
14-Nov	Mcdermid, John	Captain	43	Royal Highland Fusiliers	IED attack
09-Nov	Alderton, Jake	L-Corporal	22	36 Engineer Regiment	Accident
04-Oct	Roberts, Alexis	Major	32	2nd Royal Gurkha Rifles	IED attack
20-Sep	Tunnicliffe, Brian	Private	33	2nd Mercian Regiment	Accident
20-Sep	Newman, Phillip	Sergeant	36	2nd Mercian Regiment	Accident
17-Sep	Violino, Ivano "Sean"	L-Corporal	29	36 Engineer Regiment	IED attack
08-Sep	Botha, Johan	Private	25	2nd Mercian Regiment	Hostile fire
08-Sep	Brelsford, Craig	Sergeant	25	2nd Mercian Regiment	Hostile fire
05-Sep	Wright, Damian	Private	23	2nd Mercian Regiment	IED attack
05-Sep	Ford, Ben	Private	18	2nd Mercian Regiment	IED attack
30-Aug	Bridge, Christopher	Snr. Airman	20	51 Squadron, RAF Regiment	IED attack
23-Aug	McClure, Aaron	Private	19	1st Royal Anglian	Friendly fire
23-Aug	Thrumble, John	Private	21	1st Royal Anglian	Friendly fire
23-Aug	Foster, Robert	Private	19	1st Royal Anglian	Friendly fire
11-Aug	Hicks, David	Captain	26	1st Royal Anglian	RPG attack
10-Aug	Rawson, Tony	Private	27	1st Royal Anglian	RPG attack
29-Jul	Jones, Michael	L-Corporal	26	Not reported yet	Hostile fire
27-Jul	Keen, Barry	Sergeant	34	14 Signals Regiment	Mortar
26-Jul	Atherton, David	Guardsman	25	Grenadier Guards	Hostile fire
25-Jul	Hawkins, Alex	L-Corporal	22	1st Royal Anglian	IED attack
12-Jul	Hickey, Daryl	Guardsman	27	Grenadier Guards	Hostile fire
01-Jul	Wilkinson, Dave	Sergeant	33	Grenadier Guards	Suicide bomb
30-Jun	Dolan, Sean	Captain	40	1st Sherwood Foresters	IED attack
24-Jun	Wright, Thomas	Drummer	21	1st Sherwood Foresters	IED attack
09-Jun	Downes, Neil	Guardsman	20	Grenadier Guards	IED attack
06-Jun	Sandford, Paul	L-Corporal	23	1st Sherwood Foresters	Hostile fire
30-May	Gilyeat, Mike	Corporal	28	Royal Military Police	RPG attack
28-May	Bonner, Darren	Corporal	31	1st Royal Anglian	Hostile fire
26-May	Probyn, Daniel	Guardsman	22	Grenadier Guards	Hostile fire
20-May	Davey, George	L-Corporal	23	1st Royal Anglian	Accident
03-May	Davison, Simon	Guardsman	22	Grenadier Guards	Hostile fire
13-Apr	Gray, Chris	Private	19	1 Royal Anglian Battlegroup	Hostile fire
08-Mar	Smith, Michael	WO2	39	29 Commando Royal Artillery	grenade attack
06-Mar	Reddy, Benjamin	Marine	22	42 Commando Royal Marines	Hostile fire
03-Mar	McLaughlin, Liam	Bombardier	21	29 Commando Royal Artillery	RPG attack
03-Mar	Clark, Ross	Bombardier	25	29 Commando Royal Artillery	RPG attack
22-Feb	Summers, Scott	Marine	23	42 Commando Royal Marines	Accident
21-Feb	Holland, Jonathan	Marine	23	45 Commando Royal Marines	Land mine
15-Jan	Ford, Mathew	L-Corporal	30	45 Commando Royal Marines	Hostile fire
13-Jan	Curry, Thomas	Marine	21	42 Commando Royal Marines	Hostile fire

South Korean military fatalities - list

SOUTH KOREA

Full list of military fatalities since 2002

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
27-Feb-07	Jang-ho, Yoon	Sergeant	27	South Korean Army	Suicide bomb
28-Jan-03	Hyo-sung, Kim	Captain	33	South Korean Army	Gunshot

Finland military fatalities since 2002

FINLAND

This is the full list of Finland's military fatalities since 2002

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
15-Feb-11	Kansonen, Jukka	Lieutenant	35	Finnish Navy	IED attack
23-May-07	Immonen, Petri Tapio	Sergeant	29	Finnish Border Guard	IED attack

Portuguese soldier, Private Sergio Pedrosa

Private Sergio Pedrosa died while serving in Afghanistan on 24th November 2007.

The Portuguese soldier was involved in a traffic accident involving a Portuguese Army tank.

Private Pedrosa served with the Portuguese 10th Infantry.

Australian commando Luke Worsley killed in action

It is with great sadness that the Department of Defence announces the death of Australian Commando, Private Luke Worsley, serving with Special Operations Task Group in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, 23 November 2007.

Private Worsley, 26 years of age from Sydney, was killed by small arms fire while participating in a planned and deliberate attack by our forces against Taliban leaders and their supporters in Uruzgan Province.

Luke Worsley

 Read Australian Department of Defence press release

Italian Army CWO Daniele Paladini

CWO Paladini

Italian Army Chief Warrant Officer Daniele Paladini, aged 35, died on 24th November 2007 from wounds suffered in a suicide attack against NATO-led troops in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, in which at least six civilians were also killed.

CWO Paladini was severely injured together with thee other Italian soldiers when a bomber who had strapped explosives around his body detonated himself near the troops' convoy in Kabul's western Paghman district.

Despite emergency medical treatment, CWO Paladini could not be saved.

Dutch Corporal Ronald Groen

Dutch Corporal Ronald Groen, aged 21, was killed on 3rd November 2007 when his armoured reconnaissance vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

The incident happened about 5km northwest of Poentjak patrol post in Afghanistan. Two Dutch soldiers were injured by the blast.

Cpl. Groen served with 43 Mechanised Reconnaissance.