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Glowing tributes to dead soldiers | Glowing tributes to dead soldiers |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Glowing tributes have been paid to five British soldiers killed in an attack by an Afghan police officer. | Glowing tributes have been paid to five British soldiers killed in an attack by an Afghan police officer. |
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said they had been "men of courage" whose memories will live on. | Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said they had been "men of courage" whose memories will live on. |
The UK military has blamed a "rogue" Afghan policeman for Tuesday's shooting in Helmand province. | The UK military has blamed a "rogue" Afghan policeman for Tuesday's shooting in Helmand province. |
The men were Guardsman Jimmy Major, Warrant Officer Darren Chant, Sgt Matthew Telford, Cpl Steven Boote and Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith. | |
'Incomparable courage' | |
Meanwhile, another British soldier was killed on Thursday in an explosion near Sangin, also in Helmand, the Ministry of Defence has announced. He was from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles. | |
Mr Ainsworth said of the five men killed earlier in the week: "My deepest sympathies and condolences lie with their grieving families, friends, and all those who served alongside them who will feel the pain of loss most intensely. They are in all our thoughts." | |
WO Darren 'Daz' Chant was due to become afather for the fourth time. | |
WO1 Chant's "devastated" pregnant wife, Nausheen, said: "Our unborn son will never meet his father, but he will know him through his legacy. | |
"For whether in uniform or out, his incomparable courage and selflessness humbled all those who knew and loved him." | "For whether in uniform or out, his incomparable courage and selflessness humbled all those who knew and loved him." |
The 40-year-old, who was born in Walthamstow, east London, was a regimental sergeant major in the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards - the most senior non-commissioned officer in his battalion. | |
On the day he was killed he was due to be told he had been awarded a commission as an officer. | |
'Gentle giant' | |
Sgt Telford, 37, from Grimsby, served in the same battalion. | |
His family said: "Matt was a larger than life character - a gentle giant of a man. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Kerry, and sons, Harry and Callum." | |
Sgt Telford had an "infectious" sense of humour | |
His commanding officer, Lt Col Walker, said he had been a "quiet giant of a man" who had been working with a small detachment of Afghan police to improve security in a village infiltrated by insurgents. | |
He said: "He was well placed to help the police learn new skills, and as a soldier he was more than ready to face the challenges. | |
"So his death at the hands of those he was helping is all the more tragic." | |
Cpl Boote's parents, Margaret and Anthony, said he would "light up a room with a single smile" and described their only child as a "wonderful, genuine" son and friend. | |
'Proud soldier' | |
His girlfriend, Emma Murray, added: "Your cheeky smile would fill everyone with happiness. Steven, I love you so much. You are my rock, my refuge." | His girlfriend, Emma Murray, added: "Your cheeky smile would fill everyone with happiness. Steven, I love you so much. You are my rock, my refuge." |
The 22-year-old, from Birkenhead, Liverpool, was a soldier in the Territorial Army who had volunteered to go to Afghanistan. | |
Cpl Boote was the youngest of those killed | |
He worked as a security team leader at a Tesco store and planned to join the police back in Britain. | |
Guardsman Major's family said: "Jimmy was a tremendous son. He was proud to be a soldier and died doing a job he loved. | Guardsman Major's family said: "Jimmy was a tremendous son. He was proud to be a soldier and died doing a job he loved. |
The top cover gunner in the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, would have celebrated his 19th birthday next week, and was the youngest of those killed. | |
L/Sgt Peter Baily said he came across as "very intelligent" and "motivated" and had a keen interest in boxing which he hoped to take up on his return to Britain. | |
He said: "A quiet soldier at first, but he came out of his shell quickly and showed a rare comical side." | |
'Irreplaceable' | |
Cpl Webster-Smith, known as Nic or W-S, was described by his family as an "irreplaceable son, brother, boyfriend and friend" who always put others first. | |
The 24-year-old, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, was in the Royal Military Police and had completed a previous tour of Afghanistan. | The 24-year-old, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, was in the Royal Military Police and had completed a previous tour of Afghanistan. |
Cpl Webster-Smith had completed a previous tour of Afghanistan | |
His commanding officer, Lt Col Debbie Poneskis, said he had been professional and determined and always the "first to volunteer and the last to give up". | |
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the Taliban could have infiltrated the police, who were being mentored by the soldiers, prior the shooting. | |
But BBC Kabul correspondent Ian Pannell later said the Taliban had not admitted carrying out the attack. | |
The soldiers had been working and living in a compound at a national police checkpoint in the Nad Ali district. | |
Six other British men and two Afghan National Police officers were injured in the attack. | |
A total of 92 UK servicemen have now been killed this year, the highest annual figure since the Falklands War in 1982. |