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Iraq/Afghanistan

Answer

[holding answer 10 March 2006]: As at 8 March 2006, a total of 103 British Forces personnel have died while serving on Operation TELIC since the start of the campaign in March 2003. Of these, 79 are classed as killed in action—including as a result of hostile action—and 24 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet been officially assigned a cause of death, pending the outcome of an investigation.Centrally available records show that some 230 UK personnel have been treated at UK medical facilities in theatre for wounds received as a result of hostile action between March 2003 and January 2006¹."¹Before October 2004, we only have centrally held records for the Shaibah UK Field Hospital. The figure does not include, for example, UK casualties of hostile action who were treated either by other UK Field Hospitals (early stages of operation only—for which unit records are not held centrally) or by coalition partners, or those with more minor injuries who did not receive Field Hospital treatment. From October 2004, the figure relates to all those wounded who were treated in any of the UK medical facilities in the UK-led Multi-National Division South East MND(SE) area. This figure excludes any personnel who subsequently died."Our Notification of Casualty reporting records also allow us to give a figure for those categorised in theatre as Very Seriously Ill/Injured/Wounded (VSI), meaning that their life was imminently endangered. Some 40 personnel were categorised as VSI as a result of injury or wounds, however caused, in Iraq between March 2003 and January 2006²."²The VSI figure excludes any personnel who subsequently died in theatre."Separate records show that between February 2003 and January 2006 up to 4,000 military and civilian personnel (including a few Iraqis) have been medically evacuated from theatre. The great majority of cases were due to illness or accidental injury and not as a result of hostile action.The Ministry of Defence intends to publish casualty figures for Iraq on the MOD website in the next few weeks, identifying the number of personnel categorised as Seriously Injured”” and Very Seriously Injured””. The figures will be updated regularly.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

57740; 443 c1947-8W;443 c1947-8W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Iraq Peacekeeping operations

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk