Soldier son was hero, says father

Pte Robert Laws finished his Army training less than a year ago

The father of an 18-year-old soldier killed in Afghanistan has described his son as a "hero".

Pte Robert Laws, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, and another soldier were killed while taking part in a major offensive on Saturday.

His father Steven said the family was "immensely proud" of him.

Pte Laws of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, was killed when the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Helmand Province.

L/Cpl David Dennis, 29, of The Light Dragoons, was killed in an explosion while on foot.

The soldiers died in separate incidents while taking part in an operation involving about 3,000 soldiers to improve security in the area north of Lashkar Gah, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Hopefully you think you are coming back. His day was not to be Steven Laws

Mr Laws said: "To me they are both heroes."

The MoD said Pte Laws was on the front line in Afghanistan within a year of finishing basic training, which was a "tremendous undertaking".

His father said signing up for the Army was "what he wanted to do".

He added: "He knew what the consequences were. Hopefully you think you are coming back. His day was not to be."

Mr Laws said he had been very close to his son, who he regarded "not only as a son but as a brother".

"We were buddy pals," he added.

Mr Laws said he found out on Sunday that his son had died.

"You know it's that dreaded knock on the door. And it happened at four o'clock on the Sunday morning.

"I looked out the window and I thought 'MoD' and I knew."

Mr Laws said the Army had been very supportive, with representatives spending hours with the family.

Since 2001, 175 UK service personnel have died in Afghanistan.