Canadian Armed Forces Station in Afghanistan

Four young lives snuffed out in the hell that is Iraq

IT IS the wasted potential that stands out. A 19-year-old still to complete her A-levels. An Oxford graduate already singled out for promotion despite her youth. A committed family man with two small boys, and a 19-year-old man remembered for always having a "smile on his face and a sparkle in his big blue eyes".

The army spoke of the loyalty of its four personnel, but their ages and life stories reveal the talent, youth and promise that Britain has lost.

Private Eleanor Dlugosz, Lieutenant Jo Dyer, Corporal Kris O'Neill and Kingsman Adam Smith, were in a Warrior armoured vehicle returning from patrol near Basra in southern Iraq when insurgents struck on Thursday.

Lt Dyer had become a friend of Prince William while at Sandhurst and last night Clarence House said the prince was "deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of Joanna Dyer's death. Jo was a close friend of his at Sandhurst and he is very much thinking of her family and friends and they will remain in his thoughts and prayers."

British officials have accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of supplying the sophisticated "shaped" projectiles used by Iraqi insurgents in a series of deadly roadside bomb attacks.

Eleanor Dlugosz

Private Dlugosz, at the age of 19, is the youngest woman to have died in the war so far. The teenager, from Southampton, first arrived in Iraq in November as part of the Royal Army Medical Corps before returning to the UK in January to take a Class 1 medics course. Having completed the course, she returned to Iraq last month to provide medical support to troops on patrol in Basra for the first time.

Known as "Ella" to some and "DZ" to everyone else, she was described by her colleagues as a "strong, bright and capable" woman. She had aspirations to complete her A-levels and train as a laboratory technician when she returned to the UK.

Her troop commander, 2nd Lieutenant Vinny Ramshaw, said: "Pte Dlugosz was a strong and morally courageous young woman, who was an example to many older and more experienced soldiers."

Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Toney, said: "DZ was one of those soldiers who, despite a degree of shyness and a natural reticence, always surprised with her guts and determination."

Jo Dyer

Lieutenant Dyer, 24, from Yeovil, was the second woman to be killed in the attack, bringing the total number of servicewomen to die in action in Iraq since the 2003 invasion to four; a fifth woman's death is thought to have been non-combat related.

An Oxford graduate, Lt Dyer was commissioned into the intelligence corps at the end of last year and had already been given a post beyond her rank. She was attached to the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment to gain operational experience in Iraq. As an "enthusiastic and charming officer", she had been promoted to the battalion's ISTAR officer, an important intelligence gathering position normally reserved for more experienced personnel.

Friends and colleagues said: "To those who she lived with, she will be remembered as the girl who could light up a room."

Kris O'Neill

Corporal Kris O'Neill, 27, from Catterick, Yorkshire, was the father of two small boys. He returned to Iraq at the beginning of this year after recovering from a knee injury. An experienced and "unflappable" medic with the Royal Army Medical Corps, he everything they needed.

He became a father figure to the soldiers for whom he was responsible and was recently tasked with teaching first aid to the Iraqi police service.

The MoD said he was: "A committed family man with two small boys, those who knew him were always struck by his kind and gentle nature."

His squadron commander, Major Phil Carter, said: "I could always depend on Cpl O'Neill. Whatever he was doing, he would give it 110 per cent and make sure it was right. He was dedicated to ensuring that the soldiers we support receive the best possible medical care."

Adam Smith

Only 19, Kingsman Smith, from Liverpool, had already earned the respect of his colleagues in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. Known for his happy-go-lucky attitude, the Everton fan was also a dependable member of the reconnaissance platoon.

Colour Sergeant Skelton, of the reconnaissance platoon, said: " [He] was such a big character, always had a smile on his face and a sparkle in his big blue eyes."

Kingsman Bird , of the Reconnaissance Platoon, added: "He died doing the job he loved and was good at. I will never forget him."

Last night, the family of Kgn Smith, known as Smudge, paid a moving tribute to him.

It read: "This was the hardest thing we have ever had to do, it just doesn't seem real and no amount of words can describe how much we are hurting.

"Adam was the most wonderful and beautiful person anyone could wish to meet. He always had a smile on his face and loved life so much - he had everything to live for.

"He was a loving son, brother and the best boyfriend in the whole world, and he will be missed more than words can say. He will forever be in our hearts. Adam, our hero, our star."

A Kuwaiti interpreter was also killed and a fifth soldier was seriously injured in the blast, which left a 3ft deep crater in the road.

The total number of British deaths in Iraq since the 2003 invasion now stands at 140.

Last night politicians said the deaths highlighted the need to bring British troops home from Iraq.

SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson said: "The deaths of these young people is a tragedy and our hearts go out to their families."

Describing the war as "illegal and unecessary", he said: "What we need now is an exit strategy to bring the troops home to prevent any more lives being lost and families destroyed."

Police chief says bomb may be Iranian but Blair stops short of accusation

AN IRAQI police commander said the type of roadside bomb used in the attack that killed the four British soldiers on Thursday had not been seen in the region previously, and could be Iranian-designed.

Basra police chief Mohammed al-Moussawi's description of the deadly explosive penetrator hinted it might be from Iran.

The news comes after Prime Minister Tony Blair accused elements in the Iranian regime of supporting terrorism in Iraq.

Two more of the bombs were discovered planted along routes heavily travelled by US and British diplomats in Basra. Weeks earlier, the US military had claimed Iran was supplying Shiite militia fighters in Iraq with the powerful weapons, known as EFPs. They are capable of piercing armoured vehicles.

Mr al-Moussawi said two similar bombs had been discovered yesterday morning, one on the road leading to Basra Palace, the compound that houses a British base and UK and US consulates, another in the western Hayaniyah district where Thursday's attack occurred - a stronghold of the Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The reported deaths of the American forces and the bomb attack on the British unit marked the start of the eighth week of the joint US-Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad and surrounding territory.

Tony Blair called the Basra attack an "act of terrorism" and suggested it may have been the work of militiamen linked to Iran. He stopped short of accusing Tehran, however.

"Now, it is far too early to say that the particular terrorist act that killed our forces was an act committed by terrorists backed by any elements of the Iranian regime, so I make no allegation in respect of that particular incident," Mr Blair said. He added, however: "This is maybe the right moment to reflect on our relationship with Iran."

Meanwhile, on Thursday, a suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas crashed into a police checkpoint in Iraq, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens, police in Ramadi said.

The bombing in Anbar province marked the ninth use of suicide chlorine bombs in the sprawling, mainly desert territory that has been a strong-hold of the Sunni insurgency.

Recently, however, many Anbar tribes have switched allegiance, with large numbers of military-age men joining the police and Iraqi army in a bid to expel al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters.

Some bystanders had trouble breathing after yesterday's chlorine attack and were taken to a Ramadi hospital for treatment, said a police spokesman. Most were discharged after about 30 minutes, he added.

Others with more serious injuries were taken to a US base in the area, and then flown by helicopter to a larger hospital north of Baghdad, he said.

Police opened fire as the suicide car-bomber sped toward a checkpoint, three miles west of the city, according to police. Nearby buildings were damaged and police were searching the rubble for more victims.

South of Baghdad, Iraqi forces backed by US paratroopers swept into a troubled, predominantly Shiite city before dawn, and the American military said as many as six militia fighters had been killed. Eight others were wounded and five detained.

ANGUS HOWARTH

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