Marines killed in major assault on rebel village

Two Royal Marines killed in an explosion in Afghanistan were taking part in a major operation to remove insurgents from one of their last remaining strongholds, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said yesterday.

Marine Sam Alexander, 28, from Hammersmith, west London, and Lt Ollie Augustin, 23, from Kent, were killed on Friday when they were caught in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED).

The men, who were both in 42 Commando Royal Marines, were taking part in Operation Omid Haft alongside soldiers from the Afghan National Army in central Helmand.

The MoD said the Marines and Afghan soldiers battled enemy fire and harsh terrain for several days in a bid to secure the Kopak, Malgir and Loy Mandeh areas of Nahr-e Saraj.

Part of the mission was to secure the insurgent-held village of Loy Mandeh Kalay, which had become desolate despite a history as a thriving centre of commerce.

Marine Alexander and Lt Augustin were searching a compound there when an IED exploded, killing them and injuring several others.

Despite the deaths, the Marines spent many more hours battling heavy insurgent fire to establish two checkpoints, the MoD said.