A British newspaper says the head of Britain's special forces in
Afghanistan has resigned to protest equipment failures he believes led
to the death of four of his troops.
The Daily Telegraph quotes
Major Sebastian Morley, commander of Special Air Service troops in
Afghanistan, as saying British Defense Ministry officials and senior
military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings about the safety of
the army's Snatch Land Rover vehicles.
Morley believes the four
soldiers died needlessly in June when their lightly armored Snatch
vehicle hit a landmine in southern Helmand province.
The Telegraph reported one soldier who served with Morley said his
commanding officers had "tried everything in their power to stop us
using Snatch" but that the ministry failed to act.
In a
statement, the Defense Ministry responded that equipping British
personnel is a clear priority and that officials are focused on
protecting them from "ever-shifting threats posed by the enemy."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
