COLONEL IS BLOWN UP BY TALIBAN; Hero highest ranking victim since Falklands.

Byline: Chris Hughes

THE most senior British Army officer killed in action in more than 25 years has died on the Afghan frontline.

Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards, was caught in an explosion in Babiji, Helmand province, on Wednesday.

Trooper Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was also killed in the blast during operations against the Taliban.

They were travelling in a vehicle when it was hit by a roadside bomb. Six more NATO soldiers were injured in the explosion.

Married five years ago, Lt Col Thorneloe was seen as one of the most promising young officers to reach CO level. In 2006 when he was still a major, he was awarded the MBE.

Toll

He is believed to be the son of World War II Burma veteran Major John Thorneloe.

Lt Col Thorneloe is the highest-ranking frontline British Army fatality since Colonel H Jones was killed on May 28, 1982.

Col Jones was CO of 2 Para and won a posthumous VC for leading the GooseGreen assault during the Falklands conflict.

The latest deaths in Helmand bring the toll of British military fatalities to 171 since the operation against the Taliban began in 2001.

The MoD said the two men died during Operation Panther's Claw near Helmand's capital of Lashkar Gah - home to UK Brigade HQ where most senior officers are based.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said Lt Col Thorneloe was "an outstanding commanding officer" who was at the "leading edge of his generation".

He added: "His courageous, thoughtful stewardship of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards has seen them superbly prepared for the demands of Afghanistan.

"The deaths of Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe MBE and Trooper Joshua Hammond are a devastating blow to the Welsh Guards Battle Group and to the Army as a whole.

"Trooper Hammond was a first-class tank crewman who epitomised the spirited and determined approach to operations expected of Royal Armoured Corps soldiers."

CAPTION(S):

SPIRITED: Joshua Hammond LEADING EDGE: Colonel Thorneloe