Dead soldiers mother backs 'protest' resignation

The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq tonight said she hoped the resignation of an SAS commander over the continued use of the lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover would force the Government to take action.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Major Sebastian Morley is quitting in disgust over the deaths of four of his soldiers in Afghanistan who were killed when their Snatch hit a landmine earlier this year.

Defence sources insisted his departure was for "purely personal reasons".

However, it is understood he was unhappy at the continued use of the Snatch despite its obvious vulnerability.

The newspaper reported that he believed Corporal Sarah Bryant - the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan - and three male colleagues, the SAS soldiers Corporal Sean Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout, all died needlessly.

Rose Gentle's son Fusilier Gordon Gentle died when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in June 2004 in Basra.

A vital piece of kit that could have protected the vehicle was later found to be lying unused in a nearby storeroom.

She said: "I'm glad that Major Morley is making a stand. I only hope that it means that the government will finally do something and withdraw these vehicles. It should have been done a long long time ago.

"The Government have been talking about replacing Snatch Land Rovers but they need to put their money where their mouth is now.

"I have been asking for this for four years. It is too late for Gordon and the others who have died but there are a lot of boys out there still who deserve better protection. They need the right equipment for the job."

"Every time there is a death I do feel very angry when I hear they were in a Snatch."

In his resignation letter, Major Morley, the commander of D Squadron, 23 SAS, was said to have blamed "chronic under investment" in equipment by the Ministry of Defence for their deaths.

The paper said he believed the MoD was guilty of "gross negligence" and that its failure to supply better equipment was "cavalier at best, criminal at worst".

It quoted one soldier who served with Major Morley as saying: "We highlighted this issue saying people are going to die and now they have died.

"Our commanding officer and RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) tried everything in their power to stop us using Snatch. The point of failure here lies squarely with the MoD.

"The boys nicknamed Snatch the mobile coffin."

The disclosure comes in a week that the MoD announced it would spend £700 million on acquiring 700 new armoured vehicles for operations in Afghanistan - acknowledging the dangers faced by troops as they travelled round the country.

But Defence Secretary John Hutton refused to withdraw the Snatch saying it was regarded as "mission critical" to the operation.

Instead he promised that the Snatch would be upgraded into a new, more powerful variant, called the Snatch Vixen, which was able to carry better protection.

There was no official confirmation from the MoD of Major Morley's departure.

A spokesman said: "Equipping our personnel is a clear priority and we are absolutely focused on providing them with a range of vehicles that will protect them from the ever-shifting threats posed by the enemy."

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army officer, accused the Government of failing to respond with sufficient urgency to the need to protect troops.

"I think the Government is guilty of a lack of urgency and a lack of empathy with the men and women they place in harm's way," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It is not as if there are not better vehicles out there which can be bought and deployed relatively quickly. In fairness, that is starting, but by golly it has taken a long time.

"Men and women have been dying for three or four years now and will continue to as long as these unsuitable vehicles are deployed for unsuitable duties."

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said that it was the responsibility of the Government to minimise the risks to troops on the frontline.

"Gordon Brown's unwillingness to fund Tony Blair's war in Iraq has led to chronic misalignment between resources and commitments," he said.

"It is our brave fighting men and women who are having to bear the cost of Brown's lack of commitment. That we should be losing talented and experienced officers is a tragedy."

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said that the latest announcement of new armoured vehicles had come "tragically late".

"It's an admirable stand for Major Morley to take, but it might have had more effect if he'd taken it earlier," he said.

"Many voices have been warning about the inadequacy of our vehicles in Afghanistan. The Government should have acted very much sooner."