The SAS commander in Afghanistan has resigned it has been disclosed, amid fresh controversy over the equipment available to British troops fighting the Taliban.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Major Sebastian Morley was quitting in disgust over the deaths of four of his soldiers who were killed when their lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover hit a landmine in Helmand province earlier this year.
Defence sources insisted that his departure was for "purely personal reasons".
However, it is understood that he was unhappy at the continued use of the Snatch, despite its obvious vulnerability.
According to The Daily Telegraph, he believed that Corporal Sarah Bryant - the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan - and three male colleagues, the SAS soldiers, Corporal Sean Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout, all died needlessly.
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said that it was the responsibility of the Government to minimise the risks to troops on the frontline.
"Gordon Brown's unwillingness to fund Tony Blair's war in Iraq has led to chronic misalignment between resources and commitments," he said.
"It is our brave fighting men and women who are having to bear the cost of Brown's lack of commitment. That we should be losing talented and experienced officers is a tragedy."
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said that the latest announcement of new armoured vehicles had come "tragically late".
"It's an admirable stand for Major Morley to take, but it might have had more effect if he'd taken it earlier," he said. "Many voices have been warning about the inadequacy of our vehicles in Afghanistan. The Government should have acted very much sooner."
