Slain Brit commander warned of shortages

LONDON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A British army officer killed in Afghanistan in July warned of equipment shortages shortly before he died, a leaked e-mail revealed.

Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, 39, commander of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died July 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy in Helmand province. An e-mail leaked to the press and published Friday by the Daily Mail revealed he had complained only weeks before his death that helicopter shortages in the province were making road travel hazardous, The Times of London reported.

Thorneloe's e-mail reportedly read: "I have tried to avoid griping about helicopters -- we all know we don't have enough. We cannot not move people, so this month we have conducted a great deal of administrative movement by road. This increases the IED threat and our exposure to it."

British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth issued a statement to The Times saying: "We know the value of helicopters on operations, and that commanders could do more with more. That is why we have increased the numbers and types, improved engines and almost doubled flying hours. To counter the roadside bomb threat we have also been improving unmanned air surveillance."