Funeral for senior officer killed in Afghanistan

LONDON (Reuters) - The funeral of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the most senior British officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War, took place on Thursday.

Thorneloe, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died with Trooper Joshua Hammond when a bomb exploded under his armoured vehicle in a convoy near the town of Lashkar Gah, southern Afghanistan, earlier this month.

The 40-year-old officer had been one of the most senior British army officers in the country.

After his death, tributes flooded in from Prince Charles, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and other senior politicians and military figures.

Thorneloe's funeral took place at the Guards Chapel at the Wellington Barracks in central London.

"I would like, on behalf of Rupert's wife Sally, Rupert's mother, our families and myself, to record our appreciation for the overwhelming support and tributes we have experienced since Rupert was tragically killed in Afghanistan," said his father John, himself a former Major.

A total of 184 British Army soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

This month alone there have been 15 deaths, leading to questions about whether there has been an equipment shortage, particularly a lack of helicopters which could leave soldiers at greater risk from roadside bombs.

A report by parliament's Defence Committee said on Thursday that a lack of helicopters was hurting British operations in Afghanistan.

(Reporting by Michael Holden)