Shot in an instant - wrong turning cost soldier his life

He was named by the Ministry of Defence last night as 20-year-old Scott McLaren of 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The dead soldier's family yesterday spoke of their sadness at his death, while his commanding officer described him as "the most reliable and conscientious member of his platoon" who had "a heart of gold".

While reports into the circumstances of the death of Highlander McLaren from Sighthill in Edinburgh remained confused last night, both a Taleban spokesman and a local village leader told The Scotsman that he stumbled upon the commander in the village of Kopak, a few miles from the vehicle checkpoint at Salaang where he was stationed.

Highlander McLaren finished duty at the check-point at 2:30am on Monday. General Sayed Malook, the commander of Afghan forces in Helmand, said he understood that the soldier went off with a number of Afghan soldiers for a swim in a nearby canal and later drowned. However, Nato officials are sceptical of the suggestion.

Instead, Abdul Ahad Helmandwal, a member of a district council close to where the incident happened, and Maulvi Seraj, a Taleban commander who claimed to have been involved, said Highlander McLaren was shot dead in Kopak, a village near his checkpoint.

Checkpoint Salaang is near the Nahr-e-Bughra canal and is also close to the village of Kopak, in the south of the Nahr-e-Saraj district, which has been repeatedly fought over.

Mr Helmandwal said the soldier had left his base with an unknown number of Afghan soldiers and walked south, along a main road, towards the village.

"After a while, around 10am, the British soldier walked into a lane, in the north of Kopak, and came face to face with Mullah Hekmat (a Taleban commander] and three of his guards."

• Bomb expert killed by hidden 40kg device

• PM backs small Afghan withdrawl

He said the bodyguards shot him dead, on the spot. "Then, they took his body to Khazanadar to show the other Taleban that they had killed a British soldier." Mr Helmandwal said that the Highlander McLaren's body was ill-treated.

However, Maulvi Seraj, reached by satellite phone last night, said the insurgents had originally hoped to smuggle his body abroad, but were forced to abandon this plan as the manhunt intensified.

Highlander McLaren was reported missing shortly after he failed to return from his checkpoint duties in the early hours of Monday.As a result, the whole of the International Security Assistance Force's available resources, including hundreds of men, Land Rovers and helicopters were deployed in the search.

Prime Minister David Cameron's travel plans were scrapped so that helicopters that would have ferried him and his party could be used in the search. As the scale of the manhunt unfolded, the local people, according to Maulvi Seraj, grew scared that they would be bombed for harbouring the body.

Nato said it scrambled all available surveillance assets to scour the skies and eavesdrop on for talk of a captive soldier.

"The local people got scared and they didn't want to leave the body where it was," Maulvi Seraj added.

The MoD refused to comment on the condition of Highlander McLaren's body, but Lt Col Tim Purbick, a spokesman for Taskforce Helmand, said earlier that the soldier "suffered gunshot wounds". He added that the "exact cause of death is still to be established".

Officials are reviewing CCTV footage from the base, but there is no suggestion that the soldier was under any obvious signs of duress.

His body was found at 7:30pm that night, in a culvert three miles from the base, by troops involved in the manhunt.

Gen Sayed Malook gave a different account to The Scotsman of how the soldier was killed.

He repeated claims made on Monday that the soldier had left his base with two Afghan comrades to go swimming in the Nahr-e Bughra canal. He said the Afghan soldiers suddenly noticed that the British soldier was missing, and presumed that he had been swept away by the current.

Nato officials are sceptical of the suggestion he went swimming, and they are investigating whether he may have been betrayed or sold out by Afghan army comrades.

In a statement issued by the MoD on behalf of his family, parents James and Ann, sister Kirsty and brothers James and Ross spoke of their pride in Highlander McLaren.

They said: "We are deeply saddened by the news that our dear son Scott was killed in Afghanistan. We were extremely proud of Scott. He loved the army and despite his short time in 4 Scots had made many friends.

"Scott was a beloved son to James and Ann and brother to Kirsty, James and Ross. His family and friends; Grandmother Evelyn, Uncle Graham, Aunty Heather and close friend Michael will miss him dreadfully. We will always be thinking of him.

"We would like to thank everybody for their support and kindness at this time."

Highlander McLaren joined the army in 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan in April this year.His patrol had played a key part in bringing security to the area, including being responsible for a major discovery of bomb-making equipment and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components.

Major James Cross, Officer Commanding D Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, said: "Highlander McLaren's death has come as a huge blow to all of us who have had the privilege of serving alongside him."

Describing him as a "fit and extremely accomplished runner" Mjr Cross said of Highlander McLaren: "He was a man with a big heart and a true friend to many, whether it be taking on extra work or going the extra mile to help his friends in their time of need, he was trusted by all and genuinely had a heart of gold."

Known to his friends in the Battalion as "F1", Mjr Cross added: "Quiet and reserved, he had the true grit and determination of a traditional Highlander; when the times got tougher it was always 'F1' who was still standing at the end."

Lieutenant Colonel James de Labillire DSO MBE, Commanding Officer of Combined Force Nahr-e-Saraj (South) and 1st Battalion, The Rifles, said that the soldier would be "sorely missed".

"What is completely clear is his lasting and positive contribution to the campaign, and the reflective and determined way in which he made it," he said.

"The thoughts of every member of the Battle Group, who tried so desperately hard to save his life, rest now with his immediate family."

Mr Cameron said the incident was "a reminder of the high price that we have paid for the vital work we do in Afghanistan and in Helmand province".

Afghan president Hamid Karzai said: "I express my condolences on the very recent loss of a British soldier."

This is the first time a British soldier has gone missing and been killed in Afghanistan.

The three other servicemen who have previously been kidnapped in the country were American and were all captured or killed by the Taleban. In June 2009, insurgents captured Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in the south-east of the country.

Since then they have released video footage of him in captivity and dressed in Afghan clothing during which he denounces the current military campaign in the country.

In July 2010, two sailors from the US Navy went missing in Logar province, south of Kabul, the Afghan capital. However, their bodies were found in the area a few days later.

The Highlanders are based near Fallingbostel in Germany. In 1994, the Queen's Own Highlanders and the Gordon Highlanders amalgamated to form The Highlanders, in turn becoming the 4th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland following the latest infantry reorganisation.

The battalion traditionally recruits in the north and north-east of Scotland, from the Northern Isles to Inverness-shire and the Outer Hebrides to Aberdeenshire.The Highlanders are currently half-way through their tour of duty in Helmand.

They deployed in the spring for six months serving as part of 3 Commando Brigade on Operation Herrick 14, involving 6,500 servicemen and women.

The battalion had previous served in Afghanistan and had also deployed to Iraq in recent years.