British and ISAF briefings on latest developments

Описание: (24 May 2002)

POOL
Bagram
1. Wide of briefing
2. Cutaway reporters
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry, Royal Marines spokesman:
"A few further details following the attack on the Brigade Reconnaissance Force observation post in the Khost area yesterday. We can confirm now that there were three cars, the first was a Toyota estate car that had five occupants at a distance of approximately 250 metres from the Brigade Reconnaissance Force position members of the car opened fire with approximately ten rounds. The Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) patrol returned fire and claimed they saw two of the occupants were hit. Two further vehicles approached, one was an SUV and the other was an estate vehicle. The BRF did not engage these vehicles further and they observed that at least two of the people were dragged towards one of the two other vehicles. The BRF patrol remained in situ until they were ordered to withdraw and were then extracted by a United Kingdom helicopter back here to Bagram where they still remain in debrief."
4. Cutaway press and military personnel
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry, Royal Marines spokesman:
"There was not a huge firefight, these are some of the most experienced members of the Brigade and they would have returned fire appropriately. As a mark of that they did not engage the other two vehicles, they posed no threat to them so they didn't engage"
6. Wide of briefing

APTN
Kabul
7. Wide of British International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters
8. Set up for Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Wildman, British International Security and Assistance Force spokesperson
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Wildman, British International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesperson:
"I'm pleased to say that today the UN mandate has been extended for another six months. As from the twentieth of June, which is good news. However the mandate won't be extended beyond Kabul. ISAF's remit will still remain within the confines of Kabul. The reason for this is we are training up the security forces within Afghanistan, to assume their own responsibility for the whole of Afghanistan and we feel the best way of doing this is to leave them with the responsibility for security outside Kabul."
10. Union (British) flag
11. ISAF vehicle leaving for patrol
12. Various of the Royal Anglicans brigade driving through west Kabul
13. Various of Royal Anglicans brigade patrolling streets in west Kabul

STORYLINE:

Twelve members of an elite British reconnaissance team in Afghanistan returned fire after they were shot at by gunmen in the eastern Afghan region of Khost on Thursday morning, according to the British military.

Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry, the Royal Marines spokesman, described the incident during a briefing at Bagram airbase on Friday.

He said members of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force of the Royal Marines, came under fire from the occupants of a Toyota car while manning an observation post.

The soldiers returned fire, reportedly killing or wounding two men, who were then removed by a further two vehicles.

The British soldiers were airlifted to Bagram airbase.

It was not known the identity of the gunmen involved in the firefight, the first attack of its kind on the Marines involved in Taskforce Jacana.

Meanwhile the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to keep international troops in Kabul for another six months, but rejected pleas from Afghanistan's leaders to expand the force throughout the country.


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