Attacks on British Troops in Afghanistan Double

The number of British occupation soldiers killed in 9 years of occupation in Afghanistan has risen to 295.

The latest casualty comes as statistics from a secret Nato database reveal the full extent of how British troops are bearing the brunt of bomb and gun attacks in Afghanistan, the Indipendent reported in an article yesterday.

The published confirm that there were 3,594 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in southern Afghanistan between October 2009 and March 2010, according to Nato's Combined Information Data Network Exchange. This equates to 21 incidents a day in the part of the country where Britain's 10,000-strong force is based, and is 78 per cent of all IED attacks overall. It represents a 236 per cent increase in attacks compared to the same period last year. Soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan also suffered more direct-fire attacks than forces elsewhere in the country, according to Nato's statistics.

The figures will add to pressure on the Government over Britain's role in Afghanistan amid news that the newly-appointed British Prime Minister David Cameron hinted at a troop withdrawal during a visit to Afghanistan last week. He pledged that he would not keep British service personnel in the country "a moment longer than necessary", and added: "This is the year when we have to make progress." The Prime Minister ruled out sending any more troops, saying it was "not remotely on the UK agenda".

During a joint press conference with the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, in Kabul last week, Mr Cameron announced that an additional £67m will be made available to help troops deal with IEDs.

The danger being faced by British troops was brought home to the Prime Minister when he had to pull out of a planned trip to a forward patrol base on Thursday amid fears that he had become a target for Taliban assassins.

Concern about Britain's involvement is growing as the death toll continues to climb with more than three-quarters of Britons backing a withdrawal of troops, said a recent poll for The IoS.