Afghanistan rescue raid criticised

Afghan journalists criticised the high-risk rescue which freed British reporter Stephen Farrell but left four others dead.

Mr Farrell's Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi was killed along with the unnamed soldier and two civilians - reportedly a woman and a child.

But the order to strike was not taken by Gordon Brown, his spokesman stressed.

The prime minister was consulted but only after Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth and Foreign Secretary David Miliband had given the mission the go-ahead. Downing Street also defended the operation, saying it provided the "best chance of protecting life".

The Prime Minister's spokesman was commenting amid the claims in Kabul by The Media Club of Afghanistan that negotiators were close to freeing Mr Farrell without the need for military intervention. They also criticised the soldiers as "inhumane" for leaving Mr Munadi's body behind while they rescued New York Times journalist Mr Farrell.

The spokesman said that in hostage situations the Government's crisis committee Cobra, which is normally chaired by the Prime Minister, would recommend the operation to the relevant ministers.

But pressed by reporters if the Prime Minister personally ordered the raid, he said: "The Prime Minister was consulted, the final decision whether to go or not would have been made by the two Cabinet ministers.

"Whether or not he could have said no at that stage, I actually don't know the answer to that. My clear understanding is that the decision-making process goes from Cobra to the Cabinet ministers, with the Prime Minister being consulted."

He added: "What we are trying to do here is do something that has the best chance of protecting life."