Killed soldiers to be repatriated
Two soldiers killed in Afghanistan, including the most senior Army officer to die in action since the Falklands War in 1982, are due to be repatriated.
The bodies of Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, 39, from Oxfordshire, and Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, from Devon, are to be returned to RAF Lyneham later.
The pair died after an improvised bomb blew up their Viking armoured vehicle in southern Afghanistan, on Wednesday.
Prince Charles and Gordon Brown have both paid tribute to the men.
"I was horrified to say the least about both deaths"
Prince Charles
Armour v mobility: A fine balanceCol Thorneloe, from Kirtlington, near Oxford, of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and Trooper Hammond, from Plymouth, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, were part of a resupply convoy.
Six other soldiers were injured in the blast near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.
The Prince of Wales, who knew Col Thorneloe personally, said: "As you can imagine, the shock and horror that has affected the whole of the regiment family was quite dramatic.
"I was horrified to say the least about both deaths, Trooper Hammond as well."
The prime minister, speaking on a visit to the Christie Hospital in Manchester, said: "They were very professional soldiers, they were serving in Afghanistan in the most difficult terrain.
"Lt Col Thorneloe was someone I know, someone I worked with, someone I admired."
Major offensive
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said Col Thorneloe was a "born soldier" who was "destined for greatness".
The deaths came as the US army announced it had launched a major operation in Afghanistan against the Taliban.
More than 700 British troops have launched a similar offensive, codenamed Operation Panther’s Claw, against insurgent strongholds in the south of the country.
Col Thorneloe was the first British commanding officer to be killed in action since Lt Col Herbert "H" Jones died at Goose Green on the Falklands on 28 May 1982.</p
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