Lt Col Gerald Strickland MBE, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, said that with Major Bowman's death, the battalion had lost a "brave" and "truly courageous" commander who had led with a "rare determination".

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In previous tours in 2009, the battalion lost Lance Corporal Chris Harkett when he was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) as he provided covering fire on a Taliban stronghold near Musa Qala.

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The tragedy was compounded further with the news that the troops were members of the same battalion that lost six Marines in Iraq just two days ago.

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