This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8450603.stm

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Afghan blast kills correspondent Afghan blast kills correspondent
(20 minutes later)
The Sunday Mirror's defence correspondent has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said. The defence correspondent for the Sunday Mirror newspaper has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said.
Rupert Hamer was one of two Mirror journalists embedded with the United States Marine Corps. Rupert Hamer was one of two Mirror journalists embedded with the US Marine Corps when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb near Nawa, in Helmand.
They were accompanying a patrol to the north-west of Nawa when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb. Mr Hamer's colleague, photographer Philip Coburn, is in a serious but stable condition.
Mr Hamer's Mirror colleague, photographer Philip Coburn, is in a serious but stable condition. A US Marine and an Afghan soldier were also killed in the blast.
A US Marine and an Afghan soldier were also killed in the blast, and four US Marines were seriously injured. Four US Marines were seriously injured.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said: "Both Rupert Hamer and Phil Coburn accompanied me on my most recent trip to Afghanistan. A former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Col Richard Kemp, said Mr Hamer had worked very closely with the military.
"I got to know them well and I was impressed by their hard work and professionalism. He said: "You won't hear a bad word said about him. He was extremely well liked and well respected as a journalist, he was fearless in his reporting, he wouldn't let anybody off the hook easily, but he also understood the way the military worked.
"He had great empathy with soldiers in particular on the ground and some of the work he did for the Sunday Mirror without a shadow of a doubt helped improve the lot of the soldier who was fighting in Afghanistan and elsewhere."
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said Mr Hamer and Mr Coburn had accompanied him on his most recent trip to Afghanistan.
"I got to know them well and I was impressed by their hard work and professionalism," he said.
"My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of both men at this extremely distressing time.""My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of both men at this extremely distressing time."
He added: "As a defence correspondent, Rupert Hamer was in regular contact with press officers at the MoD.He added: "As a defence correspondent, Rupert Hamer was in regular contact with press officers at the MoD.
"I know they had great respect for his work and the news of his death has been met with great sadness amongst us all.""I know they had great respect for his work and the news of his death has been met with great sadness amongst us all."