On 18 April, Sapper Connor Ray, aged 21, from 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) died in hospital in Birmingham on 18 April 2012 from wounds sustained in Afghanistan. On 11 April 2012, Sapper Ray was involved in a search and clearance operation in the Nad-e-Ali district of central Helmand near to Checkpoint Kahmanan. The aim of the mission was to clear a compound previously used by insurgents, allowing the local population to safely return to the area. During this operation Sapper Ray was seriously injured in an IED strike. He received immediate medical attention before being taken to the Camp Bastion Role 3 Hospital and was later evacuated to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.