Warzone suicides shock 70% of Army cases in combat
THE overwhelming majority of suicides in the Armed Forces are linked to combat. Figures show 70 per cent of all cases in the Army over six years were soldiers fighting in warzones. The highest rate was in 2013 when seven out of eight deaths – 87 per cent – were troops who had seen action in Iraq or Afghanistan. In 2009, as fighting in Afghanistan peaked, 11 out of 15 suicides were troops with front line experience and in 2012 it was 12 out of 16.
The figures, released after a parliamentary question, reveal up to 189 Armed Forces members have taken their lives since 2002. Suicides in the Army were the highest of all three services and the stats raise fresh concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder in troops – as highlighted in a Sunday People campaign.
An Army officer said: “If a link between serving in war zones, PTSD and suicide can be proven, there is a big problem.”
Last month, a coroner ruled that the death of PTSD-stricken veteran Gareth William Crabbe, 38, was suicide. The Royal Artillery bombardier served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq before an injury forced him to leave the Army in 2012.
The Ministry of Defence said: “Suicide rates in the Armed Forces are lower overall than in the general population, with a clear downward trend in the past 20 years.
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