Del Singh was shot in head and chest while eating at a restaurant in Kabul, an inquest hears

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A British aid expert and Labour party candidate was shot in the head and chest by terrorists while eating at a restaurant in Afghanistan, an inquest has heard.

Del Singh, who was in Kabul to help ensure aid reached its intended destination, was dining in a restaurant frequently used by visitors because it was considered secure.

The inquest in Winchester, Hampshire, was told that two insurgents armed with AK47 rifles were able to get into the Taverna du Liban restaurant after a suicide bomber set off a device outside. The explosion killed two men standing guard, and breached the steel security gate.

A total of 21 people died in the attack, including senior UN officials, Afghan dignitaries and restaurant staff. The gunmen also died in the incident on 17 January.

Central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short was told that Singh, 39, from Southampton, was an international development specialist who had extensive experience managing EU and UN projects in post-conflict countries including Afghanistan and Sierra Leone.

At the time of his death, he was working as an aid adviser for an organisation called Tour Afghanistan and was monitoring the flow of aid into the country.

A statement from Richard Ironside, a manager with Tour Afghanistan, said Singh and his team would always report their movements.

He said the Taverna du Liban was deemed a safe place because it had a steel reinforced entry gate, security guards, strict searches and alternative exit points.

Ironside said he received a phone call from Singh as the shooting unfolded. He said: "A call then came in from Del. He was saying 'I am at the restaurant, I am at the restaurant. I can hear firing in the background'."

Ironside said he could hear gunfire before the phone went dead, the hearing was told.

A postmortem examination showed that Singh had suffered four gunshot wounds – two to the head and two to the chest – that would have killed him immediately.

Acting DI Matthew Potts, a British counter-terrorism officer, said it was believed the bomb outside had allowed the two gunmen to breach security and gain access to the restaurant.

He said: "It does look like it was more of an indiscriminate attack on the occupants. Some staff and diners managed to escape the restaurant through the kitchen."

Dishi Kaur, Singh's younger sister, broke down as she told the coroner her brother was "a really great man".

Recording his verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner said: "I think Del was killed at random and deliberately by terrorists. I suspect they were trying to disrupt the government and election that was in progress.

"The insurgents themselves were killed but I believe their intention was to kill as many people in the restaurant as they could, knowing that they would die. Del was trying to help the government and people of Afghanistan and it is clearly a great tragedy that he died in this way."

Singh had been a Labour candidate for 2013's European elections. Ed Miliband paid tribute to him after the incident, saying: "He dedicated his life to working with people across the world who needed his support."