Taliban Fighters Are 'Conditioned' to Die in Battle, Claims Former Insurgent
THE TELEGRAPH: A former insurgent in Afghanistan has told how he survived daily battles with British troops and why he decided to join the peace process in what is believed to be the first ever interview given by a member of the Helmand Taliban.

Taliban fighters hand over weapons to authorities, Shindand, Afghanistan. Photograph: The Telegraph
Every morning just before dawn, as the sun rose over the central Helmand plain, Abdul Mohammed would pray to Allah, clean his rifle and prepare to kill British soldiers.

For two years, Abdul, who is married with a young son, served as Taliban foot soldier in one of the most violent and battle-scared areas of southern Afghanistan.

"I expected to be killed in battle – but that didn't worry me," he said. "I never thought about death. If I was told go on a suicide attack, I would have done so. I was a committed Taliban fighter, being with the Taliban was my life.

"The British soldiers were my enemy, they would try and kill me, so I'd try to kill them."

But last month, after seeing hundreds of his friends and family killed in battle, Abdul turned his back on the insurgency and joined the peace process under the Nato-backed strategy of "reintegration".

In what is believed to be the first ever interview by a member of the Helmand Taliban, the former insurgent told The Sunday Telegraph, how he survived daily battles with British troops and why he decided to join the peace process.

Abdul agreed to the interview only after lengthy negotiations between the district governor, an "intermediary" and The Sunday Telegraph.

Until 2008, Abdul and his family enjoyed a simple existence: growing crops, tending his small herd of goats and living in hope that his young son, Babrak, might one day go to school and become an engineer.

But those dreams were shattered when, he says, a violent warlord seized control of his district and began robbing and killing members of his family and friends. >>> Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent in Nad e'Ali | Saturday, March 27, 2010

Death of British Army Officer 'Heartbreaking', Says Prince of Wales
THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the British officer killed in Afghanistan, saying his death was "completely heartbreaking".

Lt Col Thorneloe, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed by a roadside bomb near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Wednesday along with 18-year-old Trooper Joshua Hammond, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

The Prince of Wales, who knew the officer, paid tribute to him and Trooper Hammond. The Prince, who is colonel of Lt Col Thorneloe's regiment the Welsh Guards, said he had been "mortified" when he heard of the deaths.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, also paid tribute to Lt Col Thorneloe, the most senior British Army officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War.

The Prime Minister, speaking on a visit to the Christie Hospital in Manchester, said: "I think the whole country will be mourning today."

And Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth paid tribute to Lt Col Thorneloe saying he was a "leader of men".

The Prince, during a visit to Cornwall, said: "Having been colonel-in-chief of the Welsh Guards for the last 34 years, as you can imagine it is a wonderful family regiment and having been involved for those 34 years I've seen sons and grandsons go through the regiment," he said.

"As you can imagine, the shock and horror that has affected the whole of the regiment family was quite dramatic.

"I was horrified to say the least about both deaths, Trooper Hammond as well. >>> Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent | Friday, July 03, 2009