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Afghan blast soldiers to be named
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Two British soldiers killed in separate blasts in Afghanistan are expected to be named on Monday, as the death toll passed another grim milestone.
A serviceman from 4th Battalion, The Rifles, died in a blast near Sangin in central Helmand Province on Sunday morning. His death followed another explosion in the same area which killed a soldier from the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles on Saturday afternoon. Both the men's families have been informed.
Their deaths brought the number of military personnel killed in action to 201, and the total death toll since the operation began in 2001 to 232.
Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, paid tribute to both men.
Of the first who died he said: "He died a soldier, doing his duty and among his fellow soldiers; he will not be forgotten."
And he said of the second man, killed on Remembrance Sunday: "One of our fellow soldiers, one of us, who we remembered on this morning and who will not be forgotten."
Eight British soldiers have died in the country this month alone.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth on Sunday called on the country to "show some resolution" as the latest opinion polls indicated public support for the mission was crumbling in the face of continuing heavy losses. He said that the campaign was directly linked to the national security of the UK and that failure would be a "disaster" for Britain.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague admitted the Conservatives were "very worried" about the prospect of having to take over such a difficult situation in Afghanistan if they came to power in an election next year.
The head of the armed forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, acknowledged that progress was "painful, slow and halting" but he insisted that the mission was "do-able". He said that he believed that the coalition forces would have to carry on for another four to five years before the Afghans were able to take on responsibility for their own security.
