Brown told 'bring them home'

The mother of a British Soldier killed in Iraq has urged Gordon Brown to withdraw troops from Iraq when he becomes prime minister.

Rose Gentle's son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004 while serving with the Royal Highland Fusiliers. Ms Gentle said that she was sickened to learn that the 150th British soldier had been killed in Iraq. She said: "I think Gordon Brown should be thinking 'this is the time, this is it - bring them home.'"

The soldier, named as Corporal Rodney Wilson, from the 4th Battalion, The Rifles was shot and killed when his patrol came under fire in the al-Atiyah district in the northern region of Basra City. Airlifted to a field hospital, the soldier received emergency treatment, but died of his wounds.

Cpl Wilson is the 150th member of the UK armed services to die in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. He was taking part in a patrol conducting a search operation when he was shot by small arms fire. Three other members of the coalition forces were wounded in the attack, though none are thought to have life threatening injuries.

In Afghanistan the Mod confirmed that the soldier killed in Helmand province on Wednesday June 6 was Lance Corporal Paul 'Sandy' Sandford aged 23 from the 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.

LCpl Sandford was killed at around 6:45am (local time) while taking part in a patrol with his company aimed at disrupting Taliban forces in the Upper Gereshk Valley area of Helmand Province, eight kilometres north east of the town of Gereshk.

The company came under fire close to a Taliban compound and L. Cpl Sandford was shot.

Taken initially to an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol base, he was airlifted to Camp Bastion for medical treatment, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

(SP/JM)