Six UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan 'would expect comrades to continue' The commanding officer of the six men killed when their armoured vehicle was hit by a massive explosion in Afghanistan has paid tribute to the soldiers and insisted the regiment remains committed to its mission. Lieutenant Colonel Zac Stenning said the six men, five of whom were aged between 19 and 21, were "incredibly brave" and would expect their comrades to continue to do their duty. Speaking outside Battlesbury barracks in Warminster, Wiltshire, Stenning said: "Barely 48 hours ago, we heard the terrible news that six soldiers from The 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment were declared missing, believed killed, after their Warrior armoured vehicle was caught in an explosion in southern Afghanistan. As the commanding officer of a tight-knit family regiment, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my incredibly brave men, and to offer my deepest condolences to their families, and to their many friends. He said a few words about each of the men. Stenning described the youngest, Private Christopher Kershaw, 19, as a "true Yorkshire warrior ... a star of the future." The oldest, Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, was "quite simply the best." Stenning added: "Six of our brothers have fallen. It has been a sad day but as their brothers in arms we remain committed in our duty to continue with our mission. They would want nothing less. Our loss is very great today but this of course is nothing compared with the deep loss felt by their families and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are firmly with them today. Three of the six came from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. The town's MP, Barry Sheerman, called for a fresh Commons debate on operations in Afghanistan. He said he did not believe Britain should "cut and run" from the mission but said this week's events should bring the war back on to parliament's agenda. The deaths take the toll of British personnel killed in Afghanistan to 404 and represent the biggest loss of UK life in a single incident in Afghanistan since 2006, when an ageing RAF Nimrod crashed shortly after midair refuelling, with the loss of all 14 people aboard. Passing the symbolic milestone of 400 deaths has refocused attention on the reason for the presence of British troops in Afghanistan, the timetable for their removal and the capability of the Afghan army and police force to keep the country secure once coalition troops have left. However, officials indicated ministers were well aware of war-weariness among the public. The extraction of the bodies was hampered by bad weather, defence officials said. David Cameron described the loss of the men as a "desperately sad day for our country." However, Nato commanders in Afghanistan have told Downing Street and the White House that they want to keep levels of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) as high as possible between now and the end of the "fighting season" next year - September 2013. If Cameron agrees to Nato's proposal, about 9,000 UK troops will remain in Helmand until autumn next year. They would be under more pressure too: 16,000 US marines are withdrawing from Helmand within months, and although Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, has said Britain will not "backfill," Afghan forces are unlikely to be able to shoulder the burden of security alone. Privately, commanders also warn that the Isaf coalition could disintegrate if either country signals an early exit. "That is the biggest danger for Afghanistan," said one. The Warrior vehicle has been upgraded throughout its service in Iraq and Afghanistan to try to combat the threat from roadside bombs and mines. A £1bn upgrade was announced at the end of last year to extend its life to 2040 and beyond but the MoD stressed this was not in response to "any identified deficiencies" in its armour. Writing in the Times the chief of the defence staff, General Sir David Richards, said the progress made since entering the country in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was "truly impressive" and vowed to continue the strategy and tactics employed by British troops. "As progress continues the work of our servicemen and women will draw down but our efforts will endure," he said. Sadly as we hold that course it is likely that others will lose loved ones. Richards added that he and his troops did not underestimate the dangers faced in Afghanistan, but understood "the importance of the mission with which we are charged." "We will hold our nerve," he added. The defence secretary, Philip Hammond, claimed morale in Afghanistan remained "extremely high" because soldiers knew they had an important job to do. He said: "The people on the ground are acutely conscious of the risks that they are running but they are also incredibly proud of the job that they are doing and rightly so, and hugely satisfied by the level of public support that they have back home." The former foreign secretary David Miliband warned that there was no "political strategy" in Afghanistan to secure the peace after British military operations came to an end. "The absolute key is that at the moment we have extraordinary bravery, as well as sacrifice, intelligence and skill, from British service people and that is tactically making advances, but what is missing is a clear strategy," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. That is absolutely key to the last two years of British combat operations. By strategy I mean a plan to make sure there is a sustainable peace in Afghanistan after our time there in military operations. He added: "We know that, in the end, there needs to be a political solution in Afghanistan - all the tribes in, all the neighbours onside and al-Qaida kept out. It's the absence of that political strategy that is brought into stark relief by the terrible news yesterday.