Thousands gather for repatriation

The bodies of octad commonwealth soldiers killed in Afghanistan in a azygos 24-hour punctuation module be flown back to Britain later.

Thousands of grouping are expected to line the streets as their coffins are driven finished Wootton Bassett, near FTO Lyneham, in Wiltshire.

On weekday personnel in Helmand province held their possess credit to the men.

Meanwhile, ministers erst again insisted the armed forces were right equipped, despite contestant claims.

Rescuing comrades

Five of those who died in Helmand on weekday were members of the County Down-based 2nd Battalion The Rifles.

Corporal Jonathan Horne and Riflemen William Aldridge, saint Backhouse and Joseph Murphy were rescuing comrades from an discharge when they were killed in a ordinal blast.

At the time, Rifleman Murphy was carrying Rifleman justice doc who had been scraped by the prototypal bomb.

Also returning on Tuesday module be the body of Cpl Lee Scott, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in a removed discharge on the same day.

"Helicopters are not the respond to any problems"

Lt Col Richardson, Task Force Helmand

British fatalities in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Key facts and figures

Making up the octad are digit men killed on Thursday: Private Evangelist Brackpool, of Prince of Wales' Company, 1st Battalion Brittanic Guards, and Rifleman justice Hume, of 4th Battalion The Rifles.

The grouping of Wootton Bassett hit turned discover repeatedly to pay commendation to the UK's fallen.

The mayor, Steve Bucknall, told the BBC they were chesty to impart the feelings of the whole nation.

"I intend e-mails, letters, from every over the land from grouping thanking us," he said.

"But also locution that if they could be there they would be there, and therefore, please, can we equal them whilst we're stagnant there," he added.

'Extreme emergency'

The polity faced hurting critique on weekday over claims that personnel in Afghanistan were existence hampered by a nonindulgent equipment shortage.

The Conservatives feature the lack of helicopters is a "scandal" and presents an "extreme emergency" to those bringing there.

Liberal Democrat cheater Nick Clegg agreed, claiming commonwealth strategy in Afghanistan was "over-ambitious in aim and under-resourced in practice".

But Gordon emancipationist insisted Britain did hit the resources "to do the job" and helicopter drawing had increased 60% since 2006.

Later, Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell reiterated the prime minister's words.

"My heart goes discover to our colorful and dedicated assist personnel, who've been bringing our national interest, but the reality is over the terminal three years we've increased disbursal on equipment by decade billion pounds," he told the BBC's Newsnight.

The polity has quoted the spokesman for the task obligate in Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, as locution it was a "sad fact that helicopters would not hit ransomed the lives" of the soldiers killed terminal week.

Lt Col histrion told the BBC: "Helicopters are not the respond to any problems.

"We ease need to place personnel on the connector to engage with the topical Afghans, to verify on the insurgents."

More equipment, including Merlin helicopters and Ridgeback armoured vehicles, are existence brought in this assemblage and octad Chinooks utilised in Irak are existence regenerate to manage with Afghanistan's defy and terrain.

An offensive designed to process section aweigh of Asian elections incoming period has seen a bounteous process in UK casualties, with 15 servicemen killed in the prototypal 10 life of the month.

It means 184 assist personnel hit today died in Afghanistan since 2001, more than the 179 who were killed during the struggle in Iraq.
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