2 more British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

WOOTTON BASSETT, England — Thousands of mourners bowed their heads in tribute Friday to the passing coffins of soldiers killed in a new offensive in Afghanistan, where the climbing toll is raising questions in Britain about the cost of the war.

School children, businessmen and army veterans stood side by side in Wootton Bassett, a small market town about 85 miles (136km) west of London, as the bodies of five soldiers killed between Saturday and Tuesday were driven through the crowds after being flown to a nearby air base.

Wootton Bassett’s mayor, Steve Bucknell, said it was becoming increasingly hard to accept the rising number of British casualties.

“We keep on asking ourselves how many more? Each time we pray it’s the last one, knowing it probably isn’t going to be,” Bucknell said.

Nine British soldiers have been killed in volatile southern Helmand province in the past nine days amid a new offensive to uproot Taliban fighters. Seven years after British forces first deployed to Afghanistan — and after the loss of 178 troops — ex-military chiefs are criticizing tactics and equipment while members of the public wonder about the benefit of taking part in the conflict.

Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth and Prime Minister Gordon Brown claim that Britain’s role in Afghanistan is crucial to root out extremist terrorists who could potentially attack the United Kingdom, and to prevent a tide of Afghan heroin from reaching British streets.Michael Clarke, head of London-based military think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said public concern is mounting and urged politicians to be more honest about Britain’s initial reasons for joining the 2001 invasion.

“What they won’t really say is that it’s about the credibility of the NATO alliance, and our military relationship with the United States,” Clarke said.

The defense ministry said that the two latest casualties died in separate incidents Thursday. Nine soldiers have died since last Wednesday, as the country’s 8,000 troops mount missions to tackle insurgents before elections planned for next month.

Some critics say that Britain should either withdraw from the mission, or that troops must be provided with better equipment, including more helicopters. Britain, the United States and Canada have long complained that they have engaged in heavy fighting in Afghanistan while some European nations have shied away from combat roles.

Tony Philippson, whose son James was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, said the public remained skeptical about whether foreign troops will ever be able to suppress the Taliban and bring peace to the country.

“I’ve always felt it was a risky business and I think it’s still on a knife edge about whether they can succeed,” Philippson told the BBC.

Gen. Charles Guthrie, the head of Britain’s military between 1997 and 2001, said he believes British soldiers have died as a direct result of a shortage of helicopters for troops in Afghanistan. British troops are suffering heavy casualties from roadside bombs, and a lack of helicopters mean soldiers must make more journey across Helmand by road.

“If there had been more, it is very likely fewer soldiers would have been killed by roadside bombs,” Guthrie — a longtime advocate of higher defense spending — was quoted as telling the Daily Mail newspaper.

Britain’s defense ministry declined to disclose how many helicopters Britain has in Afghanistan on security grounds, but said additional aircraft are being sent to support the mission.