All casualties suffered by UK Forces are a source of profound regret. UK personnel put their lives on the line to help the people of Afghanistan to build a strong and stable country; we cannot pay high enough tribute to the job that they are doing, or the sacrifice some of them have made.
The MOD is committed to publishing casualty statistics, openly and on our website. While we do not publish statistics for all personnel who require minor treatment, we do record details for all personnel who need to be admitted to our field hospitals with more serious injuries and with diseases.
The Defence Medical Services aspire to provide first class treatment for all injured or ill Service personnel, aiming to restore them to full fitness or, where this is not possible, to the best state of health their condition permits. We also work closely with the NHS to ensure a smooth transition into NHS care when responsibility for their healthcare transfers at the point of demobilisation for reservists or discharge for regulars.
For the period 7 October 2001 to 31 December 2005:
Centrally available records show that:
- 6 UK Military Personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease
- 4 UK Military Personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease
Work continues to verify and validate data for aeromedical evacuations and field hospital admission in both Iraq and Afghanistan prior to January 2006. Once this data is compiled it will be added to the website.
For the period 1 January 2006 to 30 April 2012:
Centrally available records show that:
- 1,894 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action.
- 3,883 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals for disease or non-battle injuries.
- 273 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
- 279 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
- 5,718 aeromedical evacuations have taken place for UK military and civilian personnel injured or ill in Afghanistan.
For further details see:
Afghanistan Casualty and Fatality Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions
What medical facilities are available for UK troops operating in Afghanistan?
The UK provides 'Role 1' facilities at all UK Main Operating Bases, Forward Operating Bases and Patrol Bases, in Kabul, Kandahar and throughout Helmand Province. Role 1 facilities provide Primary Health Care and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. The composition and complement of doctors, nurses and medics is dependant on a number of factors; the number of UK personnel being supported, the geographical location, the evacuation time to a surgical facility (Role 2 or Role 3) and the operational situation at the time. The Main Operating Bases at Camp Bastion and Kandahar also have dental, physiotherapy and mental health facilities which are able to provide peripatetic and referral support to all UK personnel.
Those more seriously ill and injured UK personnel are treated at deployed hospital facilities which are either designated as Role 2 or Role 3 dependant on the level of diagnostic and specialist surgical and medical capability they provide. They can provide intensive care and high-dependency facilities, as well as surgical, medical, A+E, physiotherapy, dental, mental health, x-ray, CT and laboratory facilities. UK personnel are primarily supported by the UK led Anglo/American Role 3 hospital at Camp Bastion and the NATO Role 3 facilities at Kabul and Kandahar. However, all Role 2 and Role 3 facilities are available to support ISAF and Coalition personnel as determined by the clinical needs of the casualty.
In total the UK deploy over 400 medical staff to support operations in Afghanistan (this includes Medical Group personnel and those integral to the Battle Groups).
What is NOTICAS reporting?
Notification of Casualty (or 'NOTICAS') is the name for the formalised system of reporting casualties within the UK Armed Forces. It sets in train the MOD's next of kin informing procedure. NOTICAS is taken extremely seriously - as the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and procedures set out, NOTICAS reports are to be raised for every casualty and the reporting process is undertaken as quickly and sensitively as possible, it takes precedence over all but the most urgent operational and security matters.
What do 'Seriously Injured' and 'Very Seriously Injured' mean?
The NOTICAS reports raised for casualties contain information on how seriously medical staff in theatre judge their condition to be. This information is used to inform what the next of kin are told. 'VSI' and 'SI' are the two most serious categories into which personnel can be classified:
- 'Very Seriously ill/ Injured/wounded' or VSI is the definition we use where the illness or injury is of such severity that life or reason is imminently endangered.
- 'Seriously ill/Injured/Wounded' or SI is the definition we use where the patient's condition is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern, but there is no imminent danger to life or reason.
The VSI and SI categories are defined by Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and Procedures. They are not strictly 'medical categories' but are designed to give an indication of the severity of the illness to inform what the individual's next of kin are told. In the figures for Operation HERRICK (Afghanistan) and Operation TELIC (Iraq) we have excluded those individuals categorised as VSI or SI whose condition was identified to be caused by illness, to produce figures for the number of UK personnel categorised as VSI and SI whatever the cause of the injury, but excluding illnesses.
What is the figure for personnel 'Wounded in Action'?
This figure is based on Wounded in Action figures, including those wounded as a result of hostile action and is derived from admission data returns from the UK Role 2 enhanced facility in Camp Bastion, the Canadian Role 3 facility in Kandahar and the French and Greek Role 2 facilities in Kabul.
These figures give the total number of aeromedical evacuations,including any aeromed movements connected to the casualty's treatmentoutside of Afghanistan.
What is a non-battle injury?
Any injury that is not caused by a hostile act - examples could include a sports injury or a road traffic accident.
What is the difference between Killed in Action and Died of Wounds?
Killed in Action is the definition used where a battle casualty is killed outright or dies as a result of wounds or other injuries before reaching a medical treatment facility. Died of Wounds is the definition used where a battle casualty dies of wounds or other injuries received in action, after having reached a medical treatment facility.
What improvements have you made to the way casualty figures are collected and reported?
Since 28 October 2006 we have been able to provide data on the personnel admitted to medical facilities as a result of disease, as well as for non-battle injury. This was a challenge because these statistics include data provided by other ISAF nations in Afghanistan, who do not use the same definitions of disease. This additional reporting has been brought about by improvements in tracking of this category of personnel, and brings the reporting of statistics for casualties in Afghanistan into line with reporting for casualties in Iraq.
Furthermore, since 28 October 2006 improvements in the way the data is recorded in theatre, collated, and analysed back in the UK have made it possible for updates to be provided every two weeks, two weeks in arrears, rather than monthly, one month in arrears.