Cash is step in right direction, says widow (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Christina Schmid welcomes PM's pledge on Afghan bombs

7:20am Tuesday 22nd December 2009 in News By Chris Harris

THE widow of a Hampshire soldier killed in Afghanistan has cautiously welcomed Government promises to spend £150m on tackling roadside bombs.

Christina Schmid, whose husband Olaf died trying to defuse an improvised explosive device (IED), said it was a "tiny positive step in the right direction".

Sgt Schmid, who lived with his wife and five-year-old stepson Laird in Harestock, Winchester, was killed on his last day of duty in Helmand Province.

Gordon Brown has announced that £50m would be spent annually for the next three years on countering the IED threat.

The Prime Minister promised Afghan troops would be trained to disable IEDs and that £10m would be spent on 400 hi-tech handheld mine detectors.

"All I can is it's a tiny positive step in the right direction, clearly it should be acknowledged in a positive way," said Mrs Schmid. "Clearly it's too late for Oz, sadly, but any positive step towards creating an IED taskforce is welcoming."

"I welcome the move in that money is being spent and there's a fresh focus but it would be nice to break down exactly how, what and when this money is going to be spent," said Mrs Schmid. "How soon will that have an impact on a task-by-task basis now?

"I'm not here to comment on the amount of money being spent because I'm not a specialist, there's people in the army who can make those decisions and I hope their voices have been heard and that Gordon Brown is listening to the right people."

Sgt Schmid, who was a bomb disposal expert with the Royal Logistic Corps, saved hundreds of lives during his last tour of duty defusing 64 Taliban bombs and finding 11 bomb-making centres.

Just under half - 122 - of the 237 UK personnel who have died in Afghanistan have been killed by explosives, the majority of which have been IEDs.

The Whitehall initiative comes just weeks after another Winchester soldier, Sgt Simon Harmer, lost both his legs after triggering an IED.

According to the Ministry of Defence IEDs have been used increasingly by the Taliban since 2006 and are being manufactured on an "industrial scale".

Mr Brown, speaking in House of Commons, said: "Afghan forces will now be trained to detect and disable IEDs.

"There will be better intelligence from Afghan people about the source of IED planned attacks and encouragement not to harbour those planning attacks on British soldiers."