Soldiers killed in Afghanistan named

The families of two British servicemen killed in Afghanistan spoke of their "immense pride" today.

Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, of the Light Dragoons, from Belfast, and Corporal Stephen Bolger, of 1 Para were killed while on operations in Musa Qala in Helmand province on Saturday morning.

The deaths took the number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 165.

Mr Moffett's father, also called Nigel, said: "Nigel felt he was prepared for operations in that he was well trained and had the right tools for the job. Both he and his family understood that ultimately he could die although we didn't want this to happen. Ultimately, Nigel was a soldier."

In a statement released through the Ministry of Defence, Mr Bolger's family said: "We can take some comfort knowing that he died amongst friends, doing something he loved and believed in. We are all immensely proud of him."