IT IS a milestone that everyone, notably British military families in particular, would far rather had never been reached.

But yesterday the British casualty toll among Forces personnel in Afghanistan equalled that of the Falklands conflict in 1982, when an explosion in the notorious Helmand Province claimed the lives of two more soldiers, taking the number of fatalities to 255.

We can only applaud the brave sacrifices made by so many troops, so many miles away, in a conflict whose aims appear to become more and more blurred as time goes on. But the sad and inescapable truth is that there is no end in sight, that there will be more casualties among British forces, and that the Ministry of Defence will continue to send our troops out to fight in this inhospitable land.

If we could believe that there was a chance of success, that there were clearly defined goals in mind, and that we were far closer to achieving them than when the first UK troops landed in Afghanistan, surely so many bereaved families could take comfort from the role their loved ones had played in bringing hostilities to a close.

But now we are on the verge of a major offensive against the Taliban, involving the Chester-based 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh, and there will sadly be more fatalities among our forces.

Unlike the Argentinians in the 1980s, the Taliban do not wear uniforms – they are a difficult foe to take on and beat. And after that? Is there a proper exit strategy, or will it be the case that troops come home after the domestic clamour for withdrawal becomes politically too overwhelming to ignore?

Some are speculating that the eventual forces death toll in Afghanistan could in time equal that in Northern Ireland, which claimed 763 lives over 28 years. We sincerely hope our personnel are all safely back home before the level of fatalities gets anywhere near that figure.