Officer killed by rogue Afghan ‘a true leader’

A British soldier shot dead by a man wearing Afghan police uniform has been described in tributes as “a true gentleman and an inspirational leader”.

Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter, 29, was killed along with Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar, 28, at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand. This latest “green-on-blue” attack brings the number of British servicemen killed by Afghan soldiers or police to 11 this year.

Lt Drummond-Baxter was a pupil at Eton before studying psychology at University College London, where he also served at the nearby Honourable Artillery Company as a long-range reconnaissance specialist.

The Peterborough-born officer spent two years working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, before joining the British Army. After attending Sandhurst military college, he was commissioned into the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in December 2010.

Commanding officer, LieutenantColonel David Robinson, said: “Our battalion has lost a character, a true gentleman and an inspirational leader. His Gurkha soldiers noticeably responded to his dedication to them but also to his great wit and humour. They would follow him anywhere. He was also utterly courageous and had already proved himself such a calm and steady leader under fire that his men knew they were in the best of hands.”

Lt Drummond-Baxter’s family said in a statement that “he loved the Gurkhas and died among friends doing the job that he wanted to do”.

L/Cpl Kunwar, from Pokhara in Nepal, joined 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in October 2005 and went on to train as a sniper. He was on his third operational tour in Afghanistan.

His family said: “We are deeply shocked, disheartened and in disbelief that Siddhanta is no longer with us. But we shall treasure all the good things he did. He enjoyed immensely of his profession and was fully committed towards it. He has made us proud. The whole family misses him dearly.”

The Taliban claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks, saying one of their fighters had “infiltrated” the Afghan police force. A total of 437 British troops have died in the 11-year Afghan campaign, including 43 this year.