Two UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Two British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, including the first commanding officer to die in operations since 1991, the British Ministry of Defence says. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, commanding officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and Trooper Joshua Hammond of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment were killed while on convoy near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province on Wednesday. Thorneloe, who had served in Northern Ireland and Iraq, was in charge of a battle group in Afghanistan comprising more than 1,000 officers and soldiers. The 39-year-old father-of-two became the first CO to be killed on operations since January 1991, during the first Gulf War. The last army CO killed on active duty died in May 1982,... [read full story]                    

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