Death: Private (PTE) Benjamin RANUADO. Killed in Action (KIA) 18-July-2009
Private Benjamin RANAUDO, serving with the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF2) of the 1st Battalion Battle Group of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR BG) has been killed in action in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. He was 22.
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The second Mentoring and Reconstruction and Task Force Group had only been in Afghanistan since June 2009 when it suffered its first casualty, Private (PTE) Benjamin RANAUDO who was killed when an antipersonnel device exploded, killing him instantly and severely injuring another Australian soldier.
Three Afghan civilians, including an eight-year-old child, were also injured in the explosion.
It’s unclear whether the ordinance was a land mine or an improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded while they were on foot patrol in the Baluchi Valley, north of Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan.
The other unnamed soldier was seriously wounded and an aero medical evacuation helicopter (AME) airlifted him to hospital in Kandahar and he’s since been evacuated to a sophiticated medical hospital in Germany for recovery from his wounds.
Aero medical evacuation helicopters are highly specialised units that are rapid response to wounded soldiers and ground personnel that are also sometime referred to as MEDEVAC or medivac but this is usually reserved for civilian use.
Renaudo, 22, was from the Townsville based 1st Battalion Battle Group of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR BG) and joined the Australian Defence Force in 2006. He was attached as a member of the Force Protection Combat Team and his unit was the second rotation of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, MRTF2 based at Camp Holland, Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan.
The MRTF2 assumed the handoverof duties 
from 7th Battalion Battle Group (7 RAR BG) in June 2009 and the 7 RAR BG had been in Afghanistan since October, 2009.
The 7th Battalion Battle Group suffered one fatality during their tour of duty, Corporal Mathew HOPKINS who was killed in action 16-March-2009.
Benjamin Ranuado died only 3 weeks after the formal handing over was received by Lieutenant Colonel Peter CONNOLLY in Tarin Kowt.
Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Houston praised Private Ranuado “He was a very professional soldier who served enthusiastically and with a career record speaks to a young man, very well trained, with an extraordinary array of completed courses”.
The ADF have not determined the ordinance used. A landmine is planted within a designated area and are intended to maim and kill entering soldiers or vehicles. An anti-personnel (AP) mine is often designed to injure rather than kill in order to increase the logistical support (evacuation, medical) burden on the opposing force. An AP mine is quite small with 80 - 250g explosive and is usually activated by pressurised force of between 3 - 7kg or a tripwire.
Landmines are commercially made and military forces procure from defense contractors.
improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the other hand are relatively simple to make with a little research, time and training. All that is usually needed are batteries, a cell phone or radio. Detonators and explosives such as C-4, Semtex and dynamite are used at construction sites and oil rigs.
Once made, terrorists tend to use one of three methods for delivering their weapon. Often they’ll conceal the device in a package that may be in plain sight, hidden or buried. Insurgents have even hidden IEDs in animal carcasses alongside military convoy routes. They may also place the IED in a vehicle’s trunk (vehicle-borne IED or VBIED).
A driver may park the vehicle alongside a convoy route. A remote watcher can then detonate the VBIED from a safe distance. The last delivery method relies on a suicide bomber. The suicide bomber may drive a VBIED into the target area and explode it or strap the device on his or her body, walk into the intended target area and explode it.
No doubt we will learn in time, the exact cause of death of Private Ranaudo death but, as his grieving parents said, “Our support is with you, you’re all in our hearts.”
Tags: 1RAR, 7-RAR-BG, ADF, Afghanistan, Australia, Benjamin RANAUDO, community-and-society, death, defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, Mathew HOPKINS, MRTF2, Peter CONNOLLY, qld, Tarin-Kowt, terrorism, townsville-4810, unrest-conflict-and-war, War