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Rogue soldier's killings 'prompted shock' 26 July 2011 Last updated at 13:25 GMT

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Left to right: Maj James Joshua Bowman, Lt Neal Turkington, Cpl Arjun Purja Pun Maj James Joshua Bowman (l), Lt Neal Turkington (c) and Cpl Arjun Purja Pun were killed in July 2010
The deaths of three UK servicemen killed by a rogue Afghan soldier were "shocking and surprising", their commanding officer told their inquests.
Maj James Joshua Bowman, 34, Lt Neal Turkington, 26, and Cpl Arjun Purja Pun, 33, had served in 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
They were killed in a gun and rocket-propelled grenade attack in July 2010.
An Afghan soldier, Talib Hussein, later claimed responsibility, saying he was angered by the conduct of UK troops.
Maj Bowman, from Salisbury, Wiltshire, was shot as he slept, while Lt Turkington, of Craigavon, Co Armagh, and Cpl Pun, from Nepal, died when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired into the command centre.
Lt Col Gerald Strickland told the hearing in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, of the Afghan National Army's reaction to the killings.
"They were horrified. They were shocked. They were as surprised as we were and wanted to do anything to resolve the issue," he said.
"The stand-in Afghan commander wanted to take 20 men and go after Talib Hussein but I didn't want to do that."
Killer's claim He said the British Army were trying to develop the partnership with the Afghan forces but there had been friction. For instance, British soldiers were issued with bottled water when the Afghan troops were not, which had caused problems at this particular base.
Col Strickland said there was no option but to trust the Afghan soldiers as they were trying to develop the Afghan authorities to take responsibility themselves and they were both facing a common enemy.
After the killings, a man called Talib Hussein contacted the BBC bureau in Kabul to claim responsibility, saying he had been angry at the conduct of British troops and that he had acted alone. He said he had joined the Taliban after the attack.
Col Strickland said no motive had been established for the attack.
"What I saw was on the BBC from an extract of his telephone conversation and it was reported he was incensed because he had witnessed Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) shooting a civilian, which I can categorically say hadn't happened," Col Strickland said.
Hussein was in the army for about eight or nine months, spending most of his time in Helmand, and was thought to have a hashish habit, the Afghan authorities said.



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