Two soldiers manning checkpoint sacrificed their lives preventing Taliban attack in Helmand markeplace, says commanding officer

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Two British soldiers sacrificed their lives to stop Taliban suicide bombers detonating their devices in a packed marketplace, their commanding officer said today.

Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, and Rifleman James Brown, 18, both of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, were killed while manning a vehicle checkpoint near Sangin in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Tuesday.

Two Afghan soldiers were also killed in the attack.

Kirkness, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and Brown, from Farnborough, Hampshire, were taking part in a joint security operation with Afghan forces on a route into central Sangin.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, commanding officer of 3 Rifles Battle Group, said their comrades took comfort and pride from the fact that they averted a "much larger tragedy".

He said: "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."

Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, paid tribute to the two soldiers in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute in London today.

He said: "Their deaths harden our resolve, but this will be a very difficult time for their families as they come to terms with their loss."