Republican support moves Stoker

UUP councillor Bob Stoker has said families from republican areas sent him supportive messages after his British soldier son was injured in Afghanistan.

Michael Stoker suffered severe burns when his patrol was ambushed in May.

Mr Stoker, a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, said he was touched by the tributes from political opponents.

"I've been getting messages of support from west Belfast, the New Lodge, the Bogside in Derry, there's people out there who care," he said.

"They may have a different political viewpoint, but I think they saw there was a young man from Belfast who was severely injured and they wanted to show their support."

The 22-year-old Queen's Royal Hussars soldier's vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

Mr Stoker said, that while he was 100% behind the soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, he questioned the purpose of the British military campaigns.

"I'm not personally in support of the war, either in Iraq or Afghanistan, and I'm on record saying that," he said.

"The troops who are out there on the ground, they need to be supported by whatever means necessary, which means extra equipment, better equipment, better living conditions that should be afforded to them.

"The support for the troops will always be there although there is a groundswell of people asking me why are we actually in Afghanistan.

"I don't think it's good enough anymore for politicians to say it's to defeat terrorism.

"There are other ways of defeating terrorism, other than sending young men and women into a situation like this."