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| Troop deaths 'not last atrocity' | Troop deaths 'not last atrocity' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The killing of five British soldiers by an Afghan policeman "probably won't be the last" attack of this kind, the top UK general in Afghanistan has said. | The killing of five British soldiers by an Afghan policeman "probably won't be the last" attack of this kind, the top UK general in Afghanistan has said. |
| But General Jim Dutton told the BBC it had been a "very rare event" and it was important to "see it in perspective". | But General Jim Dutton told the BBC it had been a "very rare event" and it was important to "see it in perspective". |
| Tuesday's killings in Helmand would be investigated "extremely rigorously" by the Army and Afghan police, he added. | Tuesday's killings in Helmand would be investigated "extremely rigorously" by the Army and Afghan police, he added. |
| Earlier on Thursday, a soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, died in an explosion near Sangin, central Helmand. | Earlier on Thursday, a soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, died in an explosion near Sangin, central Helmand. |
| Rare event | Rare event |
| The five soldiers killed on Tuesday had been working and living in a compound at a national police checkpoint in the Nad Ali district in the two weeks up to their deaths. | The five soldiers killed on Tuesday had been working and living in a compound at a national police checkpoint in the Nad Ali district in the two weeks up to their deaths. |
| They died when a policeman being trained by UK forces opened fire, also injuring six other British personnel and two Afghan National Police officers. | They died when a policeman being trained by UK forces opened fire, also injuring six other British personnel and two Afghan National Police officers. |
| Asked on BBC One's Politics Show whether the shooting would make soldiers fearful, Gen Dutton said: "Well, I think yes, it does initially, but then of course as we think about it in the longer term. | Asked on BBC One's Politics Show whether the shooting would make soldiers fearful, Gen Dutton said: "Well, I think yes, it does initially, but then of course as we think about it in the longer term. |
| "As I say there's over 90,000 [police in Afghanistan] and we're building this police force and the army as quickly as we can. | "As I say there's over 90,000 [police in Afghanistan] and we're building this police force and the army as quickly as we can. |
| The vast majority of those policemen are doing a good job for the future of Afghanistan Gen Jim Dutton Tributes to five 'men of courage' | The vast majority of those policemen are doing a good job for the future of Afghanistan Gen Jim Dutton Tributes to five 'men of courage' |
| "It's easy for me to say this, sitting here, I'm not a relative or a colleague of those particular soldiers, but looking at it from a distance here you have to see it in perspective. | "It's easy for me to say this, sitting here, I'm not a relative or a colleague of those particular soldiers, but looking at it from a distance here you have to see it in perspective. |
| "It's not the first time that an Afghan policeman or an Afghan soldier or indeed soldiers of other nations in other theatres have carried out this sort of atrocity. | "It's not the first time that an Afghan policeman or an Afghan soldier or indeed soldiers of other nations in other theatres have carried out this sort of atrocity. |
| "And regrettably I think we have to say it probably won't be the last. But it is a very rare event." | "And regrettably I think we have to say it probably won't be the last. But it is a very rare event." |
| 'Rogues' | 'Rogues' |
| Gen Dutton also said: "We are building the police force and the army as quickly as we can. | Gen Dutton also said: "We are building the police force and the army as quickly as we can. |
| "The vast majority of those policemen are doing a good job for the future of Afghanistan - as good as they are able to. There is always going to be the odd one or two rogues." | "The vast majority of those policemen are doing a good job for the future of Afghanistan - as good as they are able to. There is always going to be the odd one or two rogues." |
| Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the soldiers had been "men of courage" whose memories would live on. | Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the soldiers had been "men of courage" whose memories would live on. |
| They were Warrant Officer first class Darren Chant, 40; Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37; Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18; Corporal Steven Boote, 22, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24. | |
| The death of WO1 Chant, who was due to be told on the day he was killed he had been awarded a commission as an officer, was said to have left an "enormous gap" in the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards. | |
| Sgt Telford, who served in the same battalion, was described as a "quiet giant" with an "unwavering and reliable presence" by his commanding officer Lt Col Roly Walker. | Sgt Telford, who served in the same battalion, was described as a "quiet giant" with an "unwavering and reliable presence" by his commanding officer Lt Col Roly Walker. |
| Guardsman Major's family said their son "was proud to be a soldier and died doing a job he loved" while Cpl Boote's parents said the Territorial Army member, who had volunteered for deployment, was a "wonderful, genuine" only child, "who can never be replaced". | Guardsman Major's family said their son "was proud to be a soldier and died doing a job he loved" while Cpl Boote's parents said the Territorial Army member, who had volunteered for deployment, was a "wonderful, genuine" only child, "who can never be replaced". |
| Cpl Webster-Smith's commanding officer, Lt Col Debbie Poneskis, said he was "professional and determined... always the first to volunteer and the last to give up". | Cpl Webster-Smith's commanding officer, Lt Col Debbie Poneskis, said he was "professional and determined... always the first to volunteer and the last to give up". |
| The soldier's death in Sangin on Thursday brings the number of UK personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the mission began in October 2001 to 230. | The soldier's death in Sangin on Thursday brings the number of UK personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the mission began in October 2001 to 230. |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to make what advisers call a "major" speech on the Afghanistan campaign on Friday. | Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to make what advisers call a "major" speech on the Afghanistan campaign on Friday. |
| The Politics Show will be broadcast on BBC One from 1200 GMT on Sunday. | The Politics Show will be broadcast on BBC One from 1200 GMT on Sunday. |