I feel your pain, Helmand governor tells families of British dead

The governor of Afghanistan's Helmand Province today told families of British troops killed in the region that he shared the pain, but insisted their sacrifices had not been in vain.

Gulabuddin Mangal assumed control of Helmand two and a half years ago, and in that time, he said, security, education and agriculture had all improved.

But British soldiers have continued to be killed in the area, in which some of the fiercest fighting of the nine-year conflict has taken place. The latest to die in Helmand is Sapper William Blanchard, 39, from Gosport, Hampshire, whose death the Ministry of Defence announced yesterday.

Mr Mangal, who was visiting the foreign office today, said: "The sacrifices of the international community are not for nothing. We have achieved a lot and I share the pain of families who have heard that their loved ones have been killed in Afghanistan.

"As a father I can feel how difficult it must be for a family to hear that their son or daughter has been killed."

He said a secure Afghanistan was vital to the rest of the world: "Security in Afghanistan means security in the West and in the UK; we have got a shared common enemy."

The total number of British military deaths since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 is 342.