Rethink call on Afghan army funding

The funding of British forces in Afghanistan needs a "radical rethink", a former colonel said as the latest soldier to be killed in the troubled country was named.

Private Andrew Barrie Cutts, of the Royal Logistic Corps, was killed in Musa Qualeh in the northern Helmand province of the country on Sunday afternoon.

He was part of the 13 Air Assault Support Regiment involved in a pre-planned action by UK forces against the Taliban when he was killed.

The Royal Logistics Corps, which is based in Colchester, Essex, has been deployed in Afghanistan since last month.

Pte Cutts is the 10th British soldier to be killed in the country in the last two months.

On Monday, Colonel Tim Collins, one of the most senior officers in Iraq in 2003, warned that British forces in Afghanistan needed more support from the Government.

"I think the armed forces have really backed themselves into a corner," he told GMTV. "They have allowed themselves to become too small. They have lost their voice in government, no-one is listening to them in government.

"Someone needs to stand up for the armed forces and say enough is enough. They need to be properly resourced and properly funded. Servicemen and women need to be looked after.

"The guys are doing a great job, but it is a sprint the whole time," he said. "They are at a high pressure, humans can only take so much. The guys are wearing heavy kit and are in constant contact with the enemy."

Col Collins said the head of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson, was right when he said UK forces were "getting stuck in" to the Taliban, but added: "We are getting stuck in with too few troops." He went on: "The Army is at risk at the moment. There will be more casualties, we have got to face that."