Fallen heroes

HAUNTINGLY, and with each passing week, the list of Yorkshire soldiers killed in Afghanistan becomes even longer. Twenty year-old JamesLeverett paid the ultimate price last week. Marine David Hart, described as "the perfect commando", was killed on the eve of his 24th birthday. And, yesterday, mourners gathered in Otley for Lance Corporal David Ramsden's funeral.

These fine men were "heroes" in every sense of the word. So, too, were the three members of the Royal Ghurka Rifles who were murdered by a renegade Afghan soldier at a joint base in Helmand Province. Their heroism will never be forgotten, even by those who, rightly, question the Government's strategy and the growing losses being sustained by the Armed Forces.

The Prime Minister was quite right yesterday when he said the aftermath of such tragedies was not the right time to make a knee-jerk response. The primary purpose of this mission remains; namely to prevent al-Qaida regaining a foothold in Afghanistan.

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Yet, while David Cameron is understandably keen, like Barack Obama, to

place a timeframe on the pulling out of troops, both men must be careful not to imperil the safety of servicemen, and make them more vulnerable to attacks by rogue Afghan soldiers.

It is the misfortune of both leaders that they have had to inherit a conflict that was instigated by their predecessors. But it is their responsibility now – and there would be no greater betrayal of those who have fallen than a premature withdrawal driven by political considerations rather than security issues.

It is why no time limit should be placed on the military occupation of Afghanistan until the Afghan army becomes suitably proficient in upholding the rule of the law – and minimising the terrorist threat posed by the tiny minority who deplore Western values.