There were always going to be casualties on both sides in the war on Iraq, but the fact that the first British troops to die seem to have fallen victim to an accident or technical problem makes their deaths doubly tragic.

Our thoughts must go out to the families and friends of the eight brave British and four American soldiers who lost their lives when their helicopter crashed just south of Kuwait's border with Iraq in the early hours of today.

Any kind of body-count in this war is going to be painful for both sides, and however death is visited on troops from either the coalition forces or Iraq is going to be heartbreaking for their loved ones.

These troops had willingly been transported to the other side of the world to take part in a conflict with the eyes of the world watching them, and to die what seems an especially senseless death when they were prepared to put their lives on the line for the coalition's war on Saddam Hussein is a sad waste of life.

Their loss underpins the need for the war on Iraq to be carried out efficiently, smoothly and above all quickly.

For the sakes of everyone involved in this war and the families they leave at home, it is vital that the battle to take Baghdad and liberate the country from the rule of Saddam must be orchestrated in the shortest possible time.