It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar, both from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR), were killed on Tuesday 30 October 2012 while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. Both men were attached to 40 Commando Royal Marines.
Lieutenant Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Kunwar were based in Checkpoint Prrang in the southern area of Nahr-e Saraj.
On 30 October they were participating in a shura (meeting) with Afghan Uniform Policemen inside the checkpoint.
On completion of the shura, they were shot and killed by a man wearing an Afghan police uniform who had been attending the meeting.
The Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, said:
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar. They have made the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving in Afghanistan on an operation which is vital to our national security. My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of both of these brave men at this most difficult time."