§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answers of 26 November 2001,Official Report, column 668, on Afghanistan, if he will provide details of (a) the number of British armed force casualties suffered to date, (b) where, and under what circumstances, the casualties were caused, (c) when the injured personnel were evacuated back to the United Kingdom and (d) what injuries were suffered; and how many (i) injuries and (ii) deaths have been caused to allied forces operating in Afghanistan. [19877]
§ Mr. HoonI can confirm that four British military personnel were wounded on operations in Afghanistan, one seriously. They are all now back in the UK receiving treatment. An additional member of the armed forces has also had to return to the UK for a medical assessment. I am withholding further details of the circumstances and the injuries in accordance with Exemptions 1 and 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
It would not be appropriate for me to provide information about casualties sustained by other coalition members.
344W
§ Paul FarrellyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to clear unexploded(a) cluster bombs, (b) land mines and (c) other ordnance from Afghanistan. [20004]
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the steps that will be taken to clear unexploded cluster bombs after the end of the military action in Afghanistan. [20418]
§ Mr. IngramThere is a large amount of unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, a legacy of years of conflict. The international community will provide assistance in clearing it. Detailed plans have yet to be developed, though humanitarian agencies specialising in mine clearance are already present in Afghanistan.
The UK forces at Bagram include a number of Royal Engineers, who have some explosive ordnance disposal capability.