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Third British soldier in three days killed in mortar attack in Helmand
By Raymond Whitaker and Marie Woolf
Published: 29 July 2007

The third British soldier to be killed in southern Afghanistan in as many days was named last night by the Ministry of Defence. Sergeant Barry Keen, 34, from Newcastle, was fatally wounded in a mortar attack on a compound near the village of Mirmandab in Helmand province on Friday.

Sgt Keen, of 245 Signal Squadron, 14 Signals Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, was reorganising with his team in a secured area after acting in support of the Afghan National Army when a single mortar round landed next to him. Despite receiving immediate medical treatment, his injuries were too severe for him to survive.

The sergeant's death brought the number of British troops lost in Afghanistan to 67. It followed those of Guardsman David Atherton on Thursday and Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins on Thursday, amid fierce fighting in Helmand's upper Gereshk Valley. All three soldiers were taking part in Operation Chakush (Hammer), launched last week to drive out the Taliban from an area of strategic significance. The aim is to create a safe area for engineers to restore the Kajaki dam, which could supply hydroelectricity to much of the southern part of the country and provide irrigation for farmers in an effort to lure them away from growing opium.

But last night opposition MPs accused the Government of making British soldiers vulnerable to attack by failing to plan properly and send in reinforcements. Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP for Newark and Retford, said the Government's failure to send more troops to Afghanistan was putting soldiers at unnecessary risk.

According to the former army officer, who used to train soldiers at military college, the battle plan was so badly thought out that he would have failed anyone who proposed it. He said British troops needed more helicopter support and reinforcements.

"We went into Afghanistan horribly undermanned, and therefore very vulnerable," he said. "If you concentrate your troops in vehicles you become vulnerable; if you have more troops on the ground you become less vulnerable. You have to have more firepower in the shape of more troops, and more manoeuvrability in the shape of helicopters. If this plan had been written by a student of mine I would have failed them."

Sir Menzies Campbell, leader of the Liberal Democrats, called on Gordon Brown to "act now" to reinforce troops in Afghanistan. "The most recent death of a British soldier in Afghanistan, and the fact that the number of casualties is climbing, shows that the operation is getting tougher for our servicemen and women," he said. "A recent leaked memorandum from the head of the Army warns of Britain's troop reserves being 'almost non-existent'. What more evidence does Gordon Brown need to set a target date to get our troops out of Iraq and focus on Afghanistan?"

Liam Fox, the shadow Defence Secretary, said the Army was severely overstretched in Afghanistan and did not have the necessary troops to hold territory they had occupied. "One of our problems is that we have the ability to take ground, but not sufficient troops to hold it. We know that we have insufficient troops on the ground. It is vital that we succeed."

Tributes were paid by fellow soldiers last night to Sgt Keen, who joined the Army in 1989 and had served nearly 18 years. His career included tours in Bosnia and Northern Ireland. Lieutenant Dave Phillips, his troop commander, said: "Sgt Keen was the epitome of a Royal Signals senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO). An inspirational figure within the troop, he was widely respected and well liked by all. The soldiers he worked with looked up to him and would willingly deploy alongside him. I relied upon his knowledge and experience on an almost daily basis. Not once did he let me down."

A colleague, Warrant Officer Class 2 Gaz Robinson, said: "My friendship with Baz goes back about 15 years and I cannot begin to describe my emotions at this time. I can honestly say that he has changed not one bit since I first met him. He was a quality soldier and tradesman who had the ability to make you laugh out loud with his jokes and stories. I will never forget the friendship we shared."