Two soldiers died at the weekend - UK combat casualties now 200

The men – one from the 4th Battalion The Rifles and the other from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, who was serving with the 4th Battalion, died in separate incidents around Sangin, in central Helmand.

Their loss took the total number of British personnel killed in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action to 201, and the overall death toll since the start of operations, in 2001, to 232.

It was another bloody week for British forces, which began with the killing on Tuesday of five soldiers by an Afghan policeman they had been helping to train.

Failure in Afghanistan would be a “disaster” for Britain, the Government warned yesterday amid renewed questions over whether the military campaign can ever be successful.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the country needed to show some resolution as opinion polls indicated public support for the mission was waning in the face of continuing heavy losses.

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague admitted the Conservatives were “very worried” about the prospect of having to take over such a difficult situation in Afghanistan if they came to power in an election next year.

The head of the armed forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, acknowledged that progress was painful, slow and halting, but insisted that the mission was “doable”.

A ComRes poll for the BBC1 Politics Show found that nearly two-thirds – 64 per cent – now believe the war is unwinnable, while a similar proportion – 63 per cent – wanted British troops to be withdrawn as soon as possible.

Mr Ainsworth acknowledged that public support for the campaign had been dented but – in some of his starkest comments to date – he said Britain could not afford to give up.

“We have to persevere, we have to show some resolution,”

he said.

“Failure will be a disaster for us.”

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said: “I think that Isaf (International forces in Afghanistan) overall may well reconfigure and pull out of some of the more outlying places so that it can focus more on the population.”

He warned that if proposals for an additional 40,000 troops were not approved, there would have to be a complete re-think of the international coalition’s strategy.

Tributes to North-East soldier

MORE tributes have been paid to a North-East soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Phillip Scott, a serjeant from Richmond, North Yorkshire, was helping to clear explosives in Sangin on Thursday when he was killed in a bomb blast.

The 30-year-old, who was with the 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was a veteran of the conflict in Iraq and was serving in Afghanistan with his brother, Robin.

The latest tributes to Sgt Scott come from officers who served alongside the married father-of-two.

Major James Richardson, officer commanding B Company, 3 Rifles, said: “As a section commander in the Recce Platoon, his soldiering abilities were all too evident.

“The reaction of the platoon speaks volumes for the man. They have lost an exceptional commander and a great friend. Big in stature but gentle in manner– he was a classic case of walking quietly but carrying a big stick.”

Lance Corporal Marcel Cook, Recce Platoon Signals Detachment Commander, said: “Scotty was a close mate. There was no job too small for him and no matter what the task was, he always put 100 per cent into everything he did.

“He would never have a bad word said about his blokes or the platoon.

He was green through and through and will be sorely missed, not only in the platoon, but within the Battalion.”