Marines save Afghan girls injured by insurgent attack

The commandos of Bravo Company were called upon for assistance when a local man brought his two nieces to the gate of the Marines' patrol base in the Sangin District Centre. The girls had been badly wounded after insurgents fired two rockets in an indiscriminate response to an earlier Royal Marines patrol.

First on the scene was 19-year-old Marine Will Charters from Exeter. He carried one of the injured children to the Bravo Company sickbay:

"I've seen casualties before but it's horrible when children are involved," he said.

Company Medic Marine Martin McCaffrey was on duty when the young patients were brought in:

"I gave fluids to both children and was able to stabilise them and dress their wounds while the Medical Emergency Response Team was called in," he said.

Within 30 minutes a Chinook helicopter had arrived and the girls were airlifted to the main field hospital at Camp Bastion.

Sadly, one of the girls lost her left arm. The other remains in a serious condition with major head wounds.

Marine McCaffrey, 24, from Runcorn, said:

"What happened to these girls is tragic but it's the reality of fighting against people who don't care who they attack."

Speaking through an interpreter, the girls' uncle thanked the Royal Marines for making local people feel more secure.

Aggressive patrolling and interaction with the Sangin community by Bravo Company has gained the trust of local people and helped to push the insurgents away from the town.