22/06/2008 09:52. Their deaths brought to nine the number of soldiers killed so far in June in Helmand.

Brig Carleton-Smith, the commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, added: "I would not accept that they (the Snatch) are a 'death trap'. The incident on Tuesday, when the TA SAS's Snatch was destroyed – it was struck by a landmine [containing] anything from 100-150kg [of explosive], which would probably have destroyed all the vehicles other than the most heavily armoured."

He said: "I certainly wouldn't elect to use Snatch in the high-risk areas. The plan is to phase them out over time. Their profile is most appropriate to the urban centres."

But he added: "This is a 360-degree operating environment. You are potentially as likely to be confronted with a suicide bomber or an IED (improvised explosive... // Telegraph.co.uk