The highest-ranking British soldier to die in action since the Falklands war has been killed alongside a young trooper after an explosion. A statement from the Ministry of Defence confirmed Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and Trooper Joshua Hammond, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, died in Helmand province in Afghanistan on Wednesday. The blast, which takes the number of British deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171, also injured six other servicemen. Lt Col Thorneloe and Trooper Hammond died near Lashkar Gah yesterday after an improvised explosive device detonated under their Viking armoued vehicle as it travelled in convoy along the Shamalan Canal. The pair had been involved in a resupply convoy to allow Lt Col Thorneloe to visit his men engaged in a major... [read full story]
