Two more British soldiers have been killed in action while serving in Afghani stan,one of whom grew up in the Birmingham area.

While I don’t think the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were entirely justified, I don’t believe we can get ourselves out of this mess at any point in the near future and I support our troops on their mission to try and restore some law and order to those war-scarred countries. A life lost is always a sad thing, and my condolences go out to the families of Lance Corporal Hashmi and every other soldier who has fallen over the course of this bloody conflict.

Some of the quotes on that BBC page are slightly questionable, particularly the one made by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham:

“We should be sympathising with the family of both of the soldiers, particularly the Muslim family because this actually proves the fact that Muslims also give their life for Britain.”

Then again, records show that Lord Ahmed is no stranger to a controversy.

(Entry title shamelessly stolen from today’s Independent)