Families of soldiers killed by rogue policeman divided on war policy

THE mother of the most senior of the five soldiers gunned down by a rogue Afghan policeman has called for British troops to be brought home.

Elizabeth Chant said her son, Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, had loved the army, but she voiced concerns about the UK death toll in Afghanistan, which now stands at 230. She said: "I do think that those boys should come home now, because there's too many being killed."

However, the father of another casualty, Corporal Steven Boote, 22, a Territorial Army military policeman, said he believed his son would have died in vain if the troops pulled out now.

Speaking on behalf of Tony Boote, family friend Pam Mullin said: "We spoke about this, with people saying we should pull our troops out, but (he] believes the 230 troops would have died in vain if that happens."