Post by cammy on Jul 8, 2009 9:41:38 GMT 1
Another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the seventh in a week and the 176th since operations began.
The serviceman, from the Light Dragoons, died in an explosion near Gereshk in Helmand province last night. The Ministry of Defence said his next of kin had been informed.
He was taking part in Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, a major assault against the Taliban in the central Helmand river valley ahead of next month's Afghan presidential election.
Six soldiers died in the first week of July alone, including Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who is the most senior army officer killed on operations since the Falklands war.
The announcement of the latest British casualty came as the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, prepared to make his first major speech since his appointment in last month's cabinet reshuffle. He is expected to set out the rationale for Britain's continuing engagement in the region.
Speaking ahead of his address to the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank in London, Ainsworth admitted there was "gloom and worry" about the British death toll in Afghanistan. "If people weren't [worrying], there would be something seriously wrong with them," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"But when you go out to Afghanistan, as I did last weekend, there is a very real sense of momentum," said Ainsworth, rejecting comparisons with the Vietnam war.
Some senior military figures have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the international campaign against the Taliban. But Ainsworth insisted troops were clear about their mission and were making progress.
"There is no doubt in their minds, a) that they are achieving something, and b) that they are there for a purpose and that purpose is – boil it down – to help the Afghans and to protect national security."
(Cammy) Yet again we hear of the tragic loss of a member of our armed forces.... Rest in piece
The serviceman, from the Light Dragoons, died in an explosion near Gereshk in Helmand province last night. The Ministry of Defence said his next of kin had been informed.
He was taking part in Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, a major assault against the Taliban in the central Helmand river valley ahead of next month's Afghan presidential election.
Six soldiers died in the first week of July alone, including Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who is the most senior army officer killed on operations since the Falklands war.
The announcement of the latest British casualty came as the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, prepared to make his first major speech since his appointment in last month's cabinet reshuffle. He is expected to set out the rationale for Britain's continuing engagement in the region.
Speaking ahead of his address to the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank in London, Ainsworth admitted there was "gloom and worry" about the British death toll in Afghanistan. "If people weren't [worrying], there would be something seriously wrong with them," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"But when you go out to Afghanistan, as I did last weekend, there is a very real sense of momentum," said Ainsworth, rejecting comparisons with the Vietnam war.
Some senior military figures have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the international campaign against the Taliban. But Ainsworth insisted troops were clear about their mission and were making progress.
"There is no doubt in their minds, a) that they are achieving something, and b) that they are there for a purpose and that purpose is – boil it down – to help the Afghans and to protect national security."
(Cammy) Yet again we hear of the tragic loss of a member of our armed forces.... Rest in piece