Inquest told of Afghanistan bomb trap carnage

The five soldiers were killed in two waves of bomb explosions

An Afghan bomb trap which killed five UK soldiers left a scene like something "from a movie", an inquest has heard.

Capt Ross Hocking said he saw "a lot of bodies" after two linked explosions near Sangin, Helmand province, in July.

Rifleman William Aldridge, 18, Rifleman James Backhouse, 18, and Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20, were hit first.

Cpl Jonathan Horne, 27, and Rifleman Joseph Murphy, 18, went to help but were caught in the next blast. Verdicts of unlawful killing were recorded.

Capt Hocking told the inquest in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, that the soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2 Rifles) were on patrol on land that dropped away sharply downhill when the incident happened on 10 July 2009.

He said: "It was at the base of the hill where we heard an explosion behind us.

"We just heard a large boom and saw the top of a dust cloud from the base of the slope."

'People on floor'

After coming under small arms fire, the team came back to deal with the first wave of casualties.

Capt Hocking said: "As soon as we walked back through the gap in the wall there were several people lying on the floor and pretty much everyone was helping to sort out casualties.

"I could see one person not moving, on the floor. The amount of casualties would suggest a large blast - or several. There were two craters either side of the gap in the wall."

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The second blast in the so-called daisy chain detonated as those who were able were helping the casualties and getting them onto stretchers.

Capt Hocking said: "I looked into the compound to see a lot of bodies, a lot of people on the floor and basically it was something out of a movie really."

Rifleman Murphy, from Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, was carrying Rifleman Simpson, from Croydon, south London, when the second series of blasts went off.

Rifleman Aldridge, was from Bromyard, Herefordshire, Rifleman Backhouse, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, and Cpl Horne, from Walsall.

'Battle orders'

Serjeant Jaime Moncho gave evidence on the same day it was announced he had been awarded a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his bravery during the attack.

His citation was for "supreme courage in the face of the most testing of circumstances" as he went to the aid of his comrades.

He told the inquest: "Once we got to the compound ourselves, we could see through the gap, the casualties and where they were.

"At that stage I heard a crack and a thump, a possible round of small arms fire.

"At that time we had to formulate very quickly a set of battle orders."

Coroner David Ridley praised the speed with which he took control of the situation and began treating casualties while under fire.

Mr Ridley told him: "It is tragic that it (the medal) came out of this incident but you quite rightly deserve it."

Recording his verdicts, Mr Ridley said if the Taliban suspects were ever caught they would face murder charges.