Checkpoint stops market blast at cost of 4 dead soldiers

Guardian:

The commanding officer of two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan said today they had sacrificed their lives to thwart an attempted Taliban suicide bombing of a packed marketplace.

Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, and Rifleman James Brown, 18, both of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died after a motorcycle drove into a checkpoint they were manning. The checkpoint had been established to protect a bazaar near Sangin in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, commanding officer of 3 Rifles Battle Group, said the dead soldiers' comrades took pride in the fact they had given their lives to avert a "much larger tragedy".

"Their sacrifice prevented two suicide bombers from reaching their intended target, the bustling and ever more prosperous Sangin bazaar, packed with local Afghans going about their daily business," said Kitson.

The Ministry of Defence said the checkpoint was attacked at 12.45pm local time on Tuesday. "The joint patrol was made up of 4 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and 15 British soldiers from 3 Rifles with an interpreter," the MoD said.

"A motorcycle carrying two men came towards the [checkpoint] and drove straight into it, the insurgents' bombs exploding among the soldiers. Two Afghan soldiers and the two British soldiers were killed and two other Afghan soldiers seriously injured."

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While the deaths are unfortunate, the checkpoint was effective in stopping the enemy from engaging in a mass murder attack of non combatants. It shows the importance of cutting off enemy movement to contact. Of course getting intelligence on the planned attack would have been better, but that comes with establishing a relationship with the locals.