OMEN
04-22-2006, 10:41 AM
http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5143396,00.jpg
Incident ... soldier's death not combat-related
AN Australian soldier serving in Baghdad has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while cleaning his weapon.
The unnamed soldier, a married father of two small children, was treated by fellow soldiers at the accident scene in the Australian security detachment (SECDET) barracks in Baghdad's green zone yesterday afternoon local time (late last night Australian time).
He was then rushed the short distance to the US Army combat surgical hospital, immediately receiving what army chief Lieutenant General Peter Leahy described as the best support available anywhere in the world.
"Tragically he died shortly thereafter," General Leahy said.
He said the family of the soldier, who had been in Iraq only a month, had requested his name not be released.
The mishap is under military investigation and only bare details have been disclosed. However, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson rejected speculation of suicide."The soldier was simply handling his weapon and maintaining his weapon as soldiers are required to do and for some unexplained reason the firearm discharged and the bullet unfortunately entered the soldier's head," he said.
"Several hours after the injury, despite receiving the best of medical care, he unfortunately passed away."
Dr Nelson said the man's body would be flown to Australia within about two days, if inquiries did not cause a delay, using both a C130 Hercules aircraft out of Iraq and then a commercial flight.
The soldier's death will be investigated by both a military and coronial inquiry, Dr Nelson said.
Army officials would also draw up recommendations on how to further wind down the rate of accidental weapons fire.
Dr Nelson said he had asked the Chief of Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, for a full briefing, not only on the findings of the military inquiry but: "... also what further measures might be reasonably undertaken to prevent these type of incidents".
He said a new regime of "training and regulation of weapons" was rolled out after Australia's troop deployment to East Timor saw a spate of accidental weapons fire.
"So long as we have soldiers and we have guns there will from time to time be accidents ... and no matter what controls are put in place, human error can occur and a tragic accident, as we appear to have seen overnight in Baghdad," Dr Nelson said.
General Leahy said the army was working on the arrangements for the flight.
"He will be accompanied by his platoon sergeant and it will be a time for the army family and his family to pay our respects to him for his service to the nation," General Leahy said.
He is the first Australian soldier to die in Iraq, although others have been injured in insurgent bombing attacks and in vehicle accidents.
In January last year Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, a RAAF-trained C-130 navigator on contract to the RAF, died when his aircraft was shot down north of Baghdad.
General Leahy said the soldier was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) based at Holsworthy in Sydney and was serving in Baghdad with the 110 member SECDET.
Opposition leader Kim Beazley said this was a brutal reminder that Iraq was a dangerous place and the Australian security detachment faced a degree of unpredictability in all their duties.
"The fact that young men and women are prepared to pay the ultimate price for what has been determined by the government of the day, in the nation's ownership interest, is something we all respect, and we therefore all grieve equally when something results like this," Mr Beazley said in Perth.
"We will ensure that as time goes by that the family wants for nothing."
Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James said this highlighted the dangers military personnel faced even when not in direct combat.
"The battlefield is an interesting workplace, it's inherently dangerous," he said.
"You can try to make it as safe as you can but you can never guarantee 100 per cent perfect levels of occupational health and safety."
Australian troops were sent to participate in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, sparking huge political debate.
Later that month, ABC cameraman Paul Moran was killed in a suicide car bombing in northern Iraq.
Australia, a strong supporter of the US-led campaign in Iraq, has 460 troops serving in southern Iraq and another 110 providing security for Australian embassy staff in Baghdad.
In October 2004 Australian troops suffered their first casualties in Iraq when three soldiers were injured in a massive car bomb attack on their military convoy in Baghdad.
NewsAU
Incident ... soldier's death not combat-related
AN Australian soldier serving in Baghdad has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while cleaning his weapon.
The unnamed soldier, a married father of two small children, was treated by fellow soldiers at the accident scene in the Australian security detachment (SECDET) barracks in Baghdad's green zone yesterday afternoon local time (late last night Australian time).
He was then rushed the short distance to the US Army combat surgical hospital, immediately receiving what army chief Lieutenant General Peter Leahy described as the best support available anywhere in the world.
"Tragically he died shortly thereafter," General Leahy said.
He said the family of the soldier, who had been in Iraq only a month, had requested his name not be released.
The mishap is under military investigation and only bare details have been disclosed. However, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson rejected speculation of suicide."The soldier was simply handling his weapon and maintaining his weapon as soldiers are required to do and for some unexplained reason the firearm discharged and the bullet unfortunately entered the soldier's head," he said.
"Several hours after the injury, despite receiving the best of medical care, he unfortunately passed away."
Dr Nelson said the man's body would be flown to Australia within about two days, if inquiries did not cause a delay, using both a C130 Hercules aircraft out of Iraq and then a commercial flight.
The soldier's death will be investigated by both a military and coronial inquiry, Dr Nelson said.
Army officials would also draw up recommendations on how to further wind down the rate of accidental weapons fire.
Dr Nelson said he had asked the Chief of Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, for a full briefing, not only on the findings of the military inquiry but: "... also what further measures might be reasonably undertaken to prevent these type of incidents".
He said a new regime of "training and regulation of weapons" was rolled out after Australia's troop deployment to East Timor saw a spate of accidental weapons fire.
"So long as we have soldiers and we have guns there will from time to time be accidents ... and no matter what controls are put in place, human error can occur and a tragic accident, as we appear to have seen overnight in Baghdad," Dr Nelson said.
General Leahy said the army was working on the arrangements for the flight.
"He will be accompanied by his platoon sergeant and it will be a time for the army family and his family to pay our respects to him for his service to the nation," General Leahy said.
He is the first Australian soldier to die in Iraq, although others have been injured in insurgent bombing attacks and in vehicle accidents.
In January last year Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, a RAAF-trained C-130 navigator on contract to the RAF, died when his aircraft was shot down north of Baghdad.
General Leahy said the soldier was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) based at Holsworthy in Sydney and was serving in Baghdad with the 110 member SECDET.
Opposition leader Kim Beazley said this was a brutal reminder that Iraq was a dangerous place and the Australian security detachment faced a degree of unpredictability in all their duties.
"The fact that young men and women are prepared to pay the ultimate price for what has been determined by the government of the day, in the nation's ownership interest, is something we all respect, and we therefore all grieve equally when something results like this," Mr Beazley said in Perth.
"We will ensure that as time goes by that the family wants for nothing."
Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James said this highlighted the dangers military personnel faced even when not in direct combat.
"The battlefield is an interesting workplace, it's inherently dangerous," he said.
"You can try to make it as safe as you can but you can never guarantee 100 per cent perfect levels of occupational health and safety."
Australian troops were sent to participate in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, sparking huge political debate.
Later that month, ABC cameraman Paul Moran was killed in a suicide car bombing in northern Iraq.
Australia, a strong supporter of the US-led campaign in Iraq, has 460 troops serving in southern Iraq and another 110 providing security for Australian embassy staff in Baghdad.
In October 2004 Australian troops suffered their first casualties in Iraq when three soldiers were injured in a massive car bomb attack on their military convoy in Baghdad.
NewsAU