Saved by Corporal Aran Rushe of the Irish Regiment, an innocent Afghan girl was gunned down by the Taliban.
Little Sheefa, aged 8, was rescued by him as he courageously navigated a hail of bullets.
After receiving treatment, Sheefa was subsequently air-lifted to a nearby hospital.
This incident unfolded while soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment were assisting a local farmer with a broken trailer.
During this time, insurgents attacked the farmer and the soldiers, firing into the farmer’s compound and fields from both sides of the road.
Unbeknownst to the patrol, an eight-year-old girl was present in the adjacent fields and sustained a gunshot wound to her stomach from the initial volley of gunfire from the insurgents.
Realizing that help was available at the local patrol base approximately 90 meters away, she managed to crawl to the gate. There, soldiers from C Company quickly recognized her injuries and assigned the company medic, Corporal Aran Rushe, to aid her.
While gunfire echoed from the patrol base’s sangars (observation points) under the direction of Company Sergeant Major Darren Clarke, soldiers from the patrol suppressed the insurgents’ gunfire as Corporal Rushe rendered emergency first aid to the girl.
Patrol commander Sergeant Johnathan Cowan located the village elder and escorted him to the patrol base. The elder identified the girl, named Sheefa, and sent for her father.
A helicopter was requested by Company Commander Major Alistair Harbinson, arriving within ten minutes to evacuate Sheefa and her father to a hospital in Lashkar Gah, where she is now recovering.
Nearby villagers assisted in securing the landing site and expressed their gratitude to all those involved.
Corporal Rushe remarked, “This shocking incident demonstrates the mentality of the insurgents. While they may not have specifically targeted that young girl, they showed no regard for her safety amidst the chaos and offered no help.”
“As we strive to stabilize Helmand province and eventually transfer security responsibilities to the Afghans, earning the support of local communities is crucial.”
“It became evident from the local response to this incident that the residents desire an end to the insurgency and the return of their country. That’s our mission here—to assist them in achieving that goal.”
1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment supervises the southern part of the Nad ‘Ali district, contributing to security improvements in the area.
They collaborate with members of the Afghan National Security Forces, training and mentoring them to gradually take on more responsibility. As their capacity to combat the insurgency strengthens, British and ISAF troops will be able to slowly withdraw.
