David Cameron questions every time a soldier dies

Daily telegraph

David Cameron has said that he questions the Afghan mission every time he has to write a letter to a grieving family after a soldier dies.

He described the Armed Forces's situation in Afghanistan as "the biggest concern and worry that I have".

In his Christmas message to the troops he said: "Every time you sit down to write a letter to a grieving wife or parent you think is this worth the sacrifice that we are making? And the answer is yes, it is."

His comments come as the Ministry of Defence named Corporal Steven Dunn, 27, as the latest soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

Cpl Dunn, from Gateshead, died on Tuesday when his Jackal vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

Colleagues said the soldier, from 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron, attached to 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment Battlegroup, was "always in the thick of it" and "died doing a job he loved".

The head of the Army Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall, paid a pre-Christmas visit to British troops serving in Helmand province, which ended yesterday, during which he met senior officers and soldiers.