from

Matthew Hickley

in

Helmand Province

AFGHANISTAN

[Daily Mail-Friday, November 16, 2007]

AN Army officer has become the

255th serviceman

to die in the Afghanistan or Iraq

 -equalling the toll of the

FALKLANDS WAR

Captain John Mc Dermid was killed by a roadside bombing as the lawless Helmand Province of Southern Afghanistan.

The 43 -year-old father of three, who was serving with the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was killed on Wednesday near the spot where another British soldier  died recently.

He had volunteered for service in Afghanistan and is the

84th British soldier'

-to die there since 2001.

Captain Mc Dermid, of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland ,is one of the most experienced servicemen to die in Iraq or Afghanistan. He had served 21 years as a soldier and three as an officer.

Last night  his wife Gill, a policewomen, and their children were being comforted. In a  statement, his family said:

'John was  such an important part of our lives and his death has left a void that can never be filled. Everyone who knew John knew how loving, dedicated, strong, hilarious and truly wonderful he was.'

'Although very much a family man, John's sense of duty and responsibility were never overlooked.'

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Harkness, Commanding Officer  of the Royal Highland Fusiliers said:

'He loved the Army and everything that it represented. It came as no surprise to those who knew him that he had volunteered to go to Afghanistan, as soldiering was in his blood.'

Captain McDermid, originally from Glasgow, had been training and mentoring Afghan officials. He died shortly before 11am as a joint force of British troops and members of the fledgling Afghan National Army were patrolling just south of Sangin town centre, when Taliban insurgents detonated an IED - an improvised explosive device. The infantryman, who arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks ago, was declared dead at the scene.

IED's are accounting for an increasing proportion of UK casualties in Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters adopt tactics used by counterparts in Iraq.

Last night, British forces at Kandahar Air Base gathered for a repatriation ceremony as the body of 22-year-old Lance Corporal Jake Alderton, who died last week close to the scene of Wednesdays attack, was put on an RAF aircraft for the journey to the UK. He was serving with 20Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment.

Intense fighting continued in the south of Helmand Province yesterday, where coalition forces fought around the strategically vital town of Garmsir, which controls Taliban routes from Pakistan in the south.

* Attacks against British and Iraqi forces have dropped by 90 per cent in Southern Iraq since UK troops withdrew from the main city of Basra, the commander of British forces there  has revealed.

The 5,000 troops moved to an airport on the city's edge in September resulting in a dramatic drop in attacks, Major General Graham Binns said.

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[Font Altered-Bolding & Underlining Used-Comments in Brackets]

*

[Well! as we and many others have already said for every life saved in Iraq another life will be taken in Afghanistan. So our brave fallen soldiers will still be coming home from airfields in Afghanistan. As to the comments above by Major General Binns what he has failed to mention is that our remaining troops at the airport are under constant daily barrage of missiles dropping into their encampment.  Hundreds have fallen so far. We would wish that British commanders thought about their statements before opening their mouths because with so many factual reports  on our TV screens  it is an insult to our brave embattled troops to hear such MoD statements in order to attempt to hide THE TRUTH about the great difficulties our troops are having with supply of essential equipment and air cover. Our troops are having to give up after much heroic fighting vital strong-points because they are unable to stay put because they are unsure of reinforcements. So much blood and lives are lost on objectives which cannot be held. It was a political decision to reconstruct Afghanistan what ever the difficulty of obtaining complete military control of the country which as many knew before Des Brown told the House of Commons 'without a shot being fired' and which many knew then when taking the recent history of that country to foreign invaders over the last few decades was a deliberate misleading and deceitful underestimation of the facts- which is now taking the lives of many of our brave servicemen and women. It would be better if British commanders ignored the Double-speak of politicians and put their careers on the line and TOLD THE TRUTH and then and only then will it drive home to the Government that we have NO BUSINESS in AFGHANISTAN and should bring our troops HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.]

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THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN-IS THE EU COMMISSION LISTENING? * Ditch the EU TREATY after IRISH REJECTION SAY VOTERS by Daniel Martin Political Reporter [Daily Mail-Wednesday, June 18,2008] MORE THAN HALF of voters believe Britain should drop the controversial European Treaty in the wake of its rejection in last week's IRISH REFERENDUM' The poll comes as the Tories launch a last-ditch bid in the HOUSE of LORDS today to delay the RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY. And 10,000 people have signed a PETITION on the DOWNING STREET- WEBSITE within the past few days JUNE16-2008 , calling on the GOVERNMENT NOT TO RATIFY THE BILL [WHY DON'T YOU?]   Downing Street website is http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Abandon-Lisbon/ * JUNE 18-2008