SAS soldier Robert Lyon has been killed in Bosnia - the first British casualty of the Serbian conflict, writes Andrew Ffrench.

Sgt Lyon, 30, from Oxfordshire, was on missions against Serb death squads in Kosovo when his Land Rover crashed late last week. The news has only just been released.

His mother Penny is being comforted by family and friends. She was too upset to talk but a friend, who asked not to be named, said: "She is absolutely devastated. This is extremely hard for her as her husband died two years ago from a stroke. "Robert went to school in the Didcot area and was in the local Army cadets and scouts. Everyone knew he loved the Army and a lot of people thought he was attached to one of the special squadrons.

"Robert's mum was on a walking holiday in southern England at the time of her son's death and the Army found her and flew her home." Sources close to the SAS's Hereford HQ said Sgt Lyon's team was part of the regiment's elite A-Squadron operating out of Bosnia - a launchpad for missions against Slobodan Milosevic's forces in neighbouring Serbia and Kosovo.

He died near the Bosnian town of Prozor, 100 miles from the Serbian border.

An SAS source said: "It is always a blow to lose a man, whether in an accident or in combat. But you can rest assured this will not affect the SAS's activities against the Serbs. There will be no let-up."

Story date: Thursday 13 May

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