Barnsley: Para 'undoubtedly' saved lives in Kabul blast

Cpl Daniel Hoyland suffered a burst eardrum from the explosion

A soldier has been honoured for his bravery when a suicide bomber struck as thousands tried to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Cpl Daniel Hoyland was helping evacuate British nationals and Afghans from Kabul airport when the bomb detonated, killing at least 95 people.

After the blast the 31-year-old, from Barnsley, rushed towards the scene of the explosion to secure the area.

The Army said his actions had "undoubtedly saved lives".

Cpl Hoyland had been deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Pitting, which saw more than 15,000 people, including about 2,200 children, airlifted out of Kabul in August 2021, after the Taliban swept to power.

The bomb detonated near to one of the gates into the airport on 26 August. Among the dead were 13 US service personnel, two British nationals and the child of a British national.

'It was sheer panic'

Cpl Hoyland, who had been about 200ft (60m) away from the scene of the explosion, said he remembered feeling a "hot blast".

"If the bomb had gone off 30 seconds earlier, I would not be here now, and neither would a lot of the other lads," he said.

"It was carnage. Initially, it was sheer panic then the training kicked in.

"Everyone did their jobs really well that day.

"The US soldiers had all been wearing CS gas grenades and these all went off. At first we thought it was a chemical attack. No one could breathe."

At least 95 people were killed in the attack at Kabul airport in August 2021

Fearing a follow-up attack, Cpl Hoyland, a member of Third 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, moved quickly to secure the area.

"That was the only thing on my mind," he said.

"You felt vulnerable. People were shoulder to shoulder, packed in tight like at a football match."

As British medics battled to save lives, Cpl Hoyland and his team "checked bodies and suitcases" for hidden explosives.

"We had to be extremely careful," he said. "Pull something the wrong way and something could go off."

Having thought he had escaped the ordeal unscathed, Cpl Hoyland later discovered that he had burst his left ear drum.

"I only noticed on the flight home," he said. "I started suffering really bad earache and then I noticed blood."

Cpl Hoyland's citation, accompanying the MiD, states: "He immediately left the secure zone inside the main gate of the Evacuee Handling Centre to rush towards the blast, despite the potential for a further explosion.

"Without hesitation he searched for explosive devices and, undeterred by the carnage, began to triage the injured and direct medical assistance to those most in need. His immediate actions undoubtedly saved lives."

Cpl Hoyland, who completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2011, said: "I didn't expect to receive this award. It feels really good. I thought I was just getting a 'well done' from my commanding officer."