Cpl Aran Rushe with Sheefa and her father

A Shropshire-based soldier serving in Afghanistan gave life-saving medical treatment to an eight-year-old girl who was shot by the Taliban.

Corporal Aran Rushe, of the Royal Irish Regiment, based at Tern Hill near Market Drayton, gave emergency aid to a girl who was hit in the stomach during a burst of gunfire as she worked in the fields.

She and her father were then flown by helicopter to hospital at Lashkar Gah.

The little girl was caught in a spray of bullets from the Taliban in October.

A platoon from the Royal Irish Regiment were on clearance patrol in the Helmand District of Nad-e-Ali and were helping a local farmer to move his broken trailer, when the Taliban attacked.

They fired from both sides of the road into the farmer’s compound and fields.

Unknown to the patrol, the girl was working in fields nearby and suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach from the initial burst of fire.

Knowing that she could get help from the local patrol base, about 100 yards away, she crawled to the gate, where C Company soldiers immediately identified her injuries and got Corporal Rushe to help.

With the soldiers from the patrol suppressing the insurgents, Corporal Rushe tended to the girl.

Her father was sent for and a helicopter was ordered to take them both to hospital.

Villagers nearby helped to secure the landing point nearby and thanked everyone involved.

Village elder, Mallem Sardar Mohammad, said of Corporal Rushe: “There have been several unfortunate incidents in my area, Kushal Kalay, where children have been injured. Without the assistance of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and particularly the medic, Corporal Rushe, these children may not have survived. My people owe this man their thanks and appreciation.”

Corporal Rushe, originally from Dublin, said: “This shocking incident shows you the mentality of the insurgents. They might not have targeted that young girl but they didn’t care that she was caught up in the incident and they did nothing to help her.

“As we work to stabilise Helmand province and eventually hand security responsibilities over to the Afghans, it’s very important that we win the support of local communities.”

By Hannah Costigan