UK soldier found dead in Afghanistan after going missing named
A British soldier who was found dead after going missing in southern
Afghanistan has been named as Highlander Scott McLaren of 4th Battalion, The
Royal Regiment of Scotland.
7:56PM BST 05 Jul 2011
Highlander McLaren, disappeared from a Nato checkpoint in central Helmand
province yesterday, sparking a massive 17-hour search.
The 20-year-old, from the Sighthill area of Edinburgh, was later found dead.
A statement on behalf of his family - parents James and Ann, sister Kirsty and
brothers James and Ross - read: "We are deeply saddened by the news
that our dear son Scott was killed in Afghanistan. We were extremely proud
of Scott. He loved the Army and despite his short time in 4 SCOTS had made
many friends.
"Scott was a beloved son to James and Ann and brother to Kirsty, James
and Ross. His family and friends; Grandmother Evelyn, Uncle Graham, Aunty
Heather and close friend Michael will miss him dreadfully. We will always be
thinking of him.
"We would like to thank everybody for their support and kindness at this
time."
Major James Cross, Officer Commanding D Company, The Highlanders, 4th
Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland said: "Highlander McLaren's
death has come as a huge blow to all of us who have had the privilege of
serving alongside him."
Considerable uncertainty still surrounds the circumstances of the soldier’s
death in Helmand province on Monday, which forced David Cameron to abandon a
trip to the provincial capital Lashkar Gar.
in a stream that ran through his military base,
after apparently drowning, and his body was later shot by insurgents.
“According to the information I was given ... he was swimming inside his base
in a stream that runs through it. The flow of water was very fast and he
drowned and his body was carried out of the base,” said the commander of 215
Corps in Helmand.
“When the Taliban saw the body of a British soldier in the stream they shot
his dead body.”
However, his comments could not be confirmed by British or Nato sources,
leaving several questions unanswered. Initial reports indicated that the
soldier had been shot dead by the Taliban after going missing from his base
at the end of a shift on sentry duty.
In an earlier statement Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task
Force Helmand, said the exact cause of death and circumstances surrounding
the disappearance were under investigation.
At a press conference in Kabul, Mr Cameron offered his condolences to the
serviceman’s family. He described the death as “a reminder of the high price
that we have paid for the vital work we do in Afghanistan and in Helmand
province.”
The British soldier had been stationed at a new base in the Nahr-e Saraj
district of Helmand province, which recently came under Taliban attack.
He had just finished sentry duty at Checkpoint Salaang in the early hours of
Sunday morning and, with night-time temperatures of 25C, some reports
suggested he had been seen walking towards a stream or canal.
Earlier a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban told The Daily Telegraph that
insurgents had captured the soldier and shot him dead as they fled, under
attack from Nato forces.
However, a spokesman for the international force said no gunfight had taken
place.
The Taliban frequently exaggerates its actions on the battlefield.
Elsewhere four Nato soldiers were killed in two attacks in eastern Afghanistan
yesterday (TUE) as insurgents kept up their spring offensive and prepare for
security to be handed to local forces in a series of provinces.
Three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb and a fourth died in a separate
attack, according to the International Security Assistance Force, close to
the border with Pakistan where violence has flared in recent weeks.
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