SAS hero has been killed by the Taliban in a firefight in Afghanistan, The Sun can reveal.
The elite "Who Dares Wins" fighter was one of two soldiers killed on Thursday.
In a bid to protect his secret identity, the MoD yesterday announced the fallen hero was a member of the Parachute Regiment.
But The Sun understands he was a Special Forces ace.
Our source yesterday said: "This lad was a top soldier and a respected member of the SAS.
"Every unit feels it when they lose one of their guys on the battlefield. He was a hero who fought in secret and the events surrounding his death will be closely guarded."
The SAS have joined elite SBS troops to take out hundreds of Taliban leaders in the last six months.
Elite ... SAS
The secrecy of their operations meant even the location of the hero's death was withheld. But it is known he was wounded during a fierce firefight.
An MoD spokesman would only say the "Para" was "fatally wounded by small arms fire while on operations in Helmand Province".
Discussions were yesterday believed to be taking place between the MoD and the regiment over whether to release his name and picture today.
It is policy to allow a day of grace before identifying fallen soldiers to give family and friends time to overcome the shock.
The SAS hero's death marked a bloody day for British forces in Afghanistan.
Hours earlier a soldier from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers died.
He was killed in an explosion while on an operation in the Gereshk Valley area of Helmand Province.
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said yesterday: "The soldier was working to recover a vehicle which had been damaged in an explosion when he was fatally wounded by an explosive device.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
The soldiers' deaths bring the total number of UK service personnel to have lost their lives in the Afghanistan conflict since 2001 to 373.
You Might Also Like :
0 comments:
Post a Comment