Islam4UK Issues Challenge to PM

An Islamist group organising a demo in Wootton Bassett has agreed to call it off - if the Prime Minister agrees to a debate on Afghanistan.

Islam4UK has said it would apply to police "in the next few days" for permission to protest in the Wiltshire town famous for honouring repatriated British troops.

The plan for the demonstration, which would see dozens of symbolic coffins representing Afghan civilians killed in the conflict, has caused widespread public anger.

More than 250,000 people have signed an online petition calling for it to be banned.

Now, Islam4UK leader Anjem Choudary has said it could be called off - as long as Gordon Brown or any of his ministers agrees to take part in a televised debate on the war.

He added that controversial cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed should be allowed to take part.

A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Brown had already made known his views on the planned march, which he described as "abhorrent and offensive".
The spokesman declined to comment on Mr Choudary's offer to call off the protest if the Prime Minister agreed to a debate.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he would have "no hesitation" in supporting a ban on the march if police or the council requested one.

The Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre has asked Wiltshire Police not to allow the march.

A statement on the group's website said: "We, along with all other Muslim community groups in Wiltshire and the surrounding area... unreservedly condemn this march and call on the organisers, Islam4UK, to not go ahead with it in the interests of public safety and the Muslims they claim to represent as well as to respect the rights of the people of Wootton Bassett and Wiltshire.

"We will hold Anjem Choudary and al-Muhajiroun responsible for any backlash against any Muslim in Wiltshire or elsewhere as a result of their proposed irresponsible and irrational actions and any insecurity brought upon the majority peaceful Muslim population."

The groups said they were willing to stage their own rally to "peacefully counter-demonstrate against Islam4UK" should the march be permitted to go ahead.

Hundreds of people are set to line the streets to pay their respects as the bodies of Rifleman Aiden Howell and Sapper David Watson are driven along Wootton Bassett's High Street.

Sapper Watson, 23, of 33 Engineer Regiment - a bomb disposal expert - and Rifleman Howell, 19, of 3rd Battalion the Rifles, were killed in Afghanistan in the last week of December.

The men have been flown in to nearby RAF Lyneham in advance of the funeral procession through Wootton watched by civic leaders, relatives and British Legion members.

Don't let them demonstarte through Wootton Bassett. Please sign the online petition

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Ambitious Hero Named

A British soldier who became the first to be killed in Afghanistan this year had always longed to be in the Army, say his family.

Private Robert Hayes, 19, of 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on a foot patrol in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand Province on Sunday afternoon.

Pte Hayes's family said becoming a soldier was his one ambition from childhood.

"Trying to express the true measure of our sorrow - and our sense of loss - at this time, is impossible," they said in a statement from the family home in Burnwell, Cambridgeshire.

"We are still coming to terms with this devastating news.

"However, we are strengthened by the thought that he was with his comrades, doing the job he so dearly loved, when his life was taken...

"Although he had an enthusiastic and energetic personality, our son could just as easily behave with the manners of a gentle, reflective, caring person.

"As a grieving family, we would ask that our privacy be respected. We also ask that our brave son's memory be duly honoured."

Pte Hayes also leaves his girlfriend, Gemma.

He had been in the Army for just over a year but his senior officers said he had already made a "real difference".

The young soldier deployed to one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan in October as part of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards Battle Group.

Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham, commanding officer of 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Vikings, said he was "shocked and saddened to the core".

"Robert's death leaves a huge hole in the Vikings' ranks," he said. "He will be remembered as a trusted member of the team, a young man whose energy for life was contagious, for his bravery and sense of humour.

"Robert was a young man who made a real difference in his short time with the battalion - he has been taken from us and we are all the poorer for his passing."

Major Christopher Davies, Pte Hayes's company commander, said he had become known across the battalion as "an extremely capable soldier, brave comrade and talented boxer".

"For over two months he was involved in heavy and relentless fighting against insurgents and always acted in a courageous, decisive and selfless manner," he said.

"The considerate way in which he interacted with the local population was synonymous with someone who was genuinely decent and wanted betterment for those less fortunate than himself."


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Soldier killed on New Year's Eve

The Army bomb disposal expert who died after an explosion in Afghanistan on New Year's Eve has been named by the Ministry of Defence.

Sapper David Watson, from 33 Engineer Regiment, was killed while helping to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

It happened near the British Patrol Base Blenheim in the Sangin region of Helmand province.

In a statement, the 23 year old's family said he was a "true hero" who had "lived his dream" as a soldier.

"The Army was his career which he loved the most and his achievements whilst serving in the Army show his genuine commitment and determination to serve his country proud," they said.

"He always managed to achieve above and beyond the goals that he set for himself, often going that extra mile to achieve beyond the bounds of what was expected of him."

His commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Bex described him as "fearless, ruthlessly determined and a great team player".

"I am humbled and inspired by the courage and resolve men like him show every day in ridding Afghanistan of the threat from IEDs," he said.

"The counter IED battle is tough and ongoing, but he knew that we are making steady progress.

"This success is due to the courage and deeds of men like Sapper Watson."

Improvised explosive devices are one of the greatest threats to British troops in Afghanistan.

They are thought to have caused about three-quarters of the UK deaths in the country last year.

Sapper Watson's loss takes the number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 245, including 108 in 2009


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