JohnCenaFan28
03-07-2009, 04:14 AM
A former SAS commander in Afghanistan has claimed the Government had "blood on its hands" over the "unnecessary deaths" of four soldiers killed when their Snatch Land Rover hit a roadside bomb.
Major Sebastian Morley told the Daily Telegraph that Whitehall officials and military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings troops would be killed if they continued to use the "unsafe" vehicles.
The 40-year-old resigned following the death of Corporal Sarah Bryant, the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan, and three of her male colleagues after their Snatch hit an anti-tank mine in Helmand province in June.
Major Morley accused Quentin Davies, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, of telling an "unacceptable lie" in the wake of the deaths, that commanders had a choice of vehicles to use.
And, speaking for the first time since he stepped down, he added that operations in Afghanistan were "worthless" and likened the situation to the Vietnam war. He said: "I had to resign. I had warned (the MoD) time and time again that there were going to be needless deaths if we were not given the right equipment, and they ignored this advice. There is blood on their hands."
Major Morley said he was outraged by Mr Davies' suggestion, made shortly after his resignation was made public, that commanders had a choice of vehicles to use.
Mr Davies said: "Obviously, there may be occasions when, in retrospect, a commander chose the wrong piece of equipment, the wrong vehicle, for the particular threat that the patrol, or whatever it was, encountered and we had some casualties as a result."
Mr Davies later said he had not meant to cause offence by his comments.
But Major Morley said: "A Government minister is on record telling a lie about four deaths, and this is unacceptable. For him to reverse his position now is too little too late. To accuse an operational commander of having a choice, and for that man to have made a choice that led to death, is to accuse him of negligence. There was no other vehicle to use. The simple truth is that the protection on these vehicles is inadequate and this led to the unnecessary deaths."
An MOD Spokesman said: "UK forces are better equipped than ever before, with new technology and state-of-the art armoured vehicles continuing to arrive in Afghanistan. The clear advice of commanders is that Snatch remains mission critical for certain roles. We accept that Snatch is not suitable for high-risk environments but it is adequate for the job it is given."
-Nova
Major Sebastian Morley told the Daily Telegraph that Whitehall officials and military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings troops would be killed if they continued to use the "unsafe" vehicles.
The 40-year-old resigned following the death of Corporal Sarah Bryant, the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan, and three of her male colleagues after their Snatch hit an anti-tank mine in Helmand province in June.
Major Morley accused Quentin Davies, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, of telling an "unacceptable lie" in the wake of the deaths, that commanders had a choice of vehicles to use.
And, speaking for the first time since he stepped down, he added that operations in Afghanistan were "worthless" and likened the situation to the Vietnam war. He said: "I had to resign. I had warned (the MoD) time and time again that there were going to be needless deaths if we were not given the right equipment, and they ignored this advice. There is blood on their hands."
Major Morley said he was outraged by Mr Davies' suggestion, made shortly after his resignation was made public, that commanders had a choice of vehicles to use.
Mr Davies said: "Obviously, there may be occasions when, in retrospect, a commander chose the wrong piece of equipment, the wrong vehicle, for the particular threat that the patrol, or whatever it was, encountered and we had some casualties as a result."
Mr Davies later said he had not meant to cause offence by his comments.
But Major Morley said: "A Government minister is on record telling a lie about four deaths, and this is unacceptable. For him to reverse his position now is too little too late. To accuse an operational commander of having a choice, and for that man to have made a choice that led to death, is to accuse him of negligence. There was no other vehicle to use. The simple truth is that the protection on these vehicles is inadequate and this led to the unnecessary deaths."
An MOD Spokesman said: "UK forces are better equipped than ever before, with new technology and state-of-the art armoured vehicles continuing to arrive in Afghanistan. The clear advice of commanders is that Snatch remains mission critical for certain roles. We accept that Snatch is not suitable for high-risk environments but it is adequate for the job it is given."
-Nova