Gurkha killed in Afghanistan named

A Nepalese Gurkha killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan has been named as Colour Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura.
The 36-year-old, from 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, died when the Warrior vehicle he was travelling in struck an explosive device on Saturday in the Musa Qala district of Helmand Province.

The blast which killed C/Sgt Dura, from Lamjung District of western Nepal, was the first fatal attack on a Warrior in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

C/Sgt Dura's death took the number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since operations began to 125.

The MoD said he was taking part in a routine road move when the heavily-armoured Warrior struck the explosive device.

Saturday's blast is the first time an attack on one of the 24.5-ton Warrior vehicles has resulted in the death of a British soldier in Afghanistan.

Paying tribute, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Darby, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, said: "C/Sgt Krishna was an exceptional soldier, a gifted leader and consummate professional."

He added: "Intelligent, hard and totally committed, I knew that whatever the challenge, I could turn to C/Sgt Krishna and have absolute confidence in his ability to deliver.

"His knowledge of his trade and of his men was without parallel, and the team he forged based on this knowledge and his own commitment was second to none.

"Tightly knit, entirely upbeat and utterly professional, C/Sgt Krishna's snipers were, and continue to be, one of my most potent capabilities, and their strengths are due almost entirely to his own ability as a soldier, a leader and commander."
Source: The Press Association

Posted on:November 24, 2008, 12:52 am