FAMILY members of an Ipswich solider who was killed in action in Afghanistan, are today one step closer to finding out what really happened.

FAMILY members of an Ipswich solider who was killed in action in Afghanistan, are today one step closer to finding out what really happened.

Private Aaron McClure's family have been waiting almost two years for an inquest into his death to be held but due to lengthy enquiries and an investigation, it has been delayed.

However a pre-inquest hearing has now been set and is due to be held on August 25 at a military coroner's court in Wiltshire. It will be a chance for the coroner to discuss all the issues with the families affected before formally setting a date for the full inquest.

Pte McClure, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian regiment, was just 19 years old when he died alongside his colleagues Ptes John Thrumble and Robert Foster in a bomb blast, believed to be 'friendly fire', in the Helmand Province on August 23, 2007.

The recent spate of deaths in Afghanistan has re-opened old wounds for Pte McClure's loved ones as tributes to perished soldiers are regularly featured on television bulletins or in the newspapers.

Allan McClure, Pte McClure's uncle, of Roundwood Road, Ipswich, said: “It has been one of those times lately when things keep happening.

“Every time I hear about another death in Afghanistan, it makes me feel sick and gives me goose bumps. You know what those families are going through.

“I want the troops to come home. I do not want to see one more boy or girl killed out there. Saying that you have got to support the people out there because of what they are doing for us. It is a difficult one.

“Lorraine [Aaron's mother] has been finding it hard. All these deaths have brought it all back to her and it is like it is yesterday since Aaron died.

“We are just all hoping to get a date for the full inquest as soon as possible. It has been so long coming and now we really want to find out some answers.”

The death toll among British troops in Afghanistan since 2001 is 187. There have been 18 British troops killed so far this month.

Do you have a loved one in the forces and want to tell your story? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.