Alarm over spate of suicides among ex-servicemen 10 years after bloodiest battles of Afghanistan war


There has been a recent spate of suicides among former British soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, it has been claimed.

Some 14 former and serving army personnel are thought to have killed themselves in the past two months, according to The Times.

Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, said he was particularly concerned about recent deaths involving ‘a unit that served at a specific time in Afghanistan… the bloodiest time’.

Mr Jukes is pictured with his wife Jo Mr Jukes had been sleeping rough before his death in 2018

Some 14 former and serving army personnel are thought to have killed themselves in the past two months, it has been reported. Dave Jukes (left and right with his wife Jo) was the first serviceman to have his death in October 2018 officially listed as a veteran suicide

A ‘high proportion’ of those who have died are thought to have been veterans of this particular grouping involved in Operation Herrick, Britain’s combat mission in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.

MP Mercer, 38, said the Government is now bringing forward plans for new mental health treatments for veterans by two months.

These are due to begin next month and complement NHS programmes on issues such as PTSD, addiction, and debt.

He also told the paper that he was looking into whether the veterans could have been suffering from delayed onset post-traumatic stress disorder which can develop after 10 years.

Although looking to see if there’s an event which could be tied to the recent deaths, Mr Mercer said he hasn’t seen any ‘conclusive’ evidence for this yet.

It is thought that more than 70 former and current servicemen took their lives in 2018 and at least 50 suicides occurred last year, according to reports.

The Government is now bringing forward plans for new mental health treatments for veterans by two months (Mr Jukes is pictured)

The Government is now bringing forward plans for new mental health treatments for veterans by two months (Mr Jukes is pictured)

While last November the former head of the army General Lord Dannatt warned that suicide among veterans has become an ‘epidemic of our time’.

He also criticised the coroners’ service for not keeping a record of the figures. 

Former Lance-Corporal Dave Jukes, from Birmingham, was the first serviceman to have his death in October 2018 officially listed as a veteran suicide.

He had served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Afghanistan and also did two tours of Iraq during his time in the military. He had been sleeping rough before his death.

However his wife Jo slammed services available for veterans telling the Mirror: ‘Dave fell through the cracks in a system which is not designed to cater for veterans with mental health problems.’

Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, (pictured above with his team) served in Afghanistan

Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, (pictured above with his team) served in Afghanistan

Mr Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View (pictured), said he was concerned about recent deaths involving 'a unit that served at a specific time in Afghanistan... the bloodiest time'

Mr Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View (pictured), said he was concerned about recent deaths involving ‘a unit that served at a specific time in Afghanistan… the bloodiest time’

Last year, the Government said it would give funding to a study examining risk factors in the year leading up to veterans’ suicides.

It also said the Ministry of Defence’s veterans study would be extended to include recent service leavers and would be ‘updated on an ongoing basis to provide real-time monitoring of suicides’.

‘Combined, these studies will provide increasingly robust data in order to understand whether suicide in the ex-forces community is disproportionate compared to the rest of the UK general population and will identify potential interventions in order to prevent suicide’, the Government has said. 

Mr Mercer welcomed the research and said he wanted to know exactly what stage intervention should have happened.  

He added that any suicide is ‘a tragedy’ for families and also for the institution [the army] that I am so proud of.’ 

Lord Dannatt has previously criticised the coroners’ service for not keeping a record of suicide figures. He said suicide among veterans has become an ‘epidemic of our time’

Lord Dannatt has previously criticised the coroners’ service for not keeping a record of suicide figures. He said suicide among veterans has become an ‘epidemic of our time’

British soldiers search in the snow the scene of a suicide bomb attack against British soldiers on January 28, 2004 in Kabul, Afganistan

British soldiers search in the snow the scene of a suicide bomb attack against British soldiers on January 28, 2004 in Kabul, Afganistan

The MoD said Mr Mercer had given the interview in a private capacity.

It comes after it was revealed that up to 1,100 British troops in Afghanistan could be home in just over a year after the US-Taliban peace deal.

The deal was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks.

If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months, with the first cut from 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers coming in mid-June. 

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the US-Taliban peace agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the US-Taliban peace agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday

There are still more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner currently. Germany has the next largest contingent after the US, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100.

It is understood that the first British withdrawals will take place at the same time in mid-June.

The remaining troops leaving the region would be dependent on the Taliban keeping up their end of the brokered deal, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary said: ‘We should never forget that much of this has been achieved through sacrifices made by the brave men and women of the UK armed forces.

‘I know how proud they are to have played their part, and the depth of the bonds that many of them have forged with the people of Afghanistan during their many tours over the last 18 years.’

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