Army chief says red tape stopped him sending rescue winch chopper to minefield

Published on Wednesday 8 October 2008 10:30

A SENIOR Army officer told an inquest today how his attempts to send a helicopter with a winch to rescue injured soldiers from a minefield in Afghanistan were frustrated by red tape.

Colonel Stuart Tootal, who was the commanding officer of the Parachute Regiment's 3rd Battalion, said there was a delay in sending an American Blackhawk because they were waiting for clearance "at Nato level".

He was forced instead to send a Chinook with no winch which he said he believed had a "casual link" to another mine exploding and killing a soldier on the ground.

Corporal Mark Wright, 27, from Edinburgh, died after being caught by the blast as the Chinook descended in a bid to rescue his injured colleagues.

It has previously been suggested that the mine was set off by the helicopter's downdraft.

Six others were injured, including three who lost limbs, when a patrol encountered the unmarked minefield in the region of Kajaki in Helmand Province on September 6, 2006.

Cpl Wright, who was trying to save the life of a comrade, was posthumously awarded a George Cross – the second highest military honour for bravery.