War debate rages as 100th victim named

Published on Tuesday 8 December 2009 21:44

THE 100th British soldier to die in Afghanistan this year was named last night as Lance Corporal Adam Drane, as the debate raged about the UK's continued presence in the country.

&#149 Lance Corporal Adam Drane was killed in Helmand Province

The soldier, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, died as a result of small arms fire in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand Province on Wednesday.

Colleagues paid tribute to the 23-year-old from Bury St Edmunds as a "popular, quiet and intelligent" soldier.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, on a visit to Afghanistan yesterday, tried to reassure critics of the war that troops would not be put in harm's way "for no good reason".

He said: "If this was not about our national security, if this was not vital to our own safety back in the UK, if the consequences of us not succeeding in Afghanistan were not pretty profound for our safety back in the UK then I would not support the mission, but it is."

Mr Ainsworth also paid tribute to L/Cpl Drane, as a "young soldier who was as popular for his friendliness and personality as he was respected for his ability and professionalism".

His parents, Desmond and Jackie Drane, said there were "no words" to describe their loss.

The death brought the total number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 237.

This year has been the bloodiest for British forces since the Falklands War in 1982. It follows 39 British deaths in the Afghan conflict in 2006, 42 in 2007 and 51 in 2008.

As the grim milestone was marked, critics of the war argued that military bosses and politicians were simply paying platitudes to the sacrifice of soldiers.

Labour backbencher Paul Flynn accused them of presenting "carefully manicured soundbites" as the 100th serviceman was killed.

He said they were seeking to suppress debate on whether forces should be in the country by presenting a "fiction" of potential success.

The Newport West MP, a vocal anti-war campaigner, called for troops to be withdrawn immediately and said there was no chance of success in the country.

He also described the justification for involvement in Afghanistan – to protect Britain's streets from terrorism – as "the propaganda, the lies, the posturing that we have been subjected for the last eight years".

Earlier, former army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt said Prime Minister Gordon Brown did not understand the significance of Britain's military campaign in Afghanistan until a few months ago.

But the Conservative adviser said he was now "encouraged" that the government was moving in the right direction on troop numbers, after Mr Brown announced reinforcements, bringing the UK deployment to around 10,000, including special forces.

Gen Dannatt's successor, General Sir David Richards, said the 100th fatality of 2009 "hardens our determination to succeed".