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THE heartbroken sister of ambushed
soldier Luke Allsopp insisted last night: "My brother was not
executed."
Nina Allsopp hit out at "lies"
surrounding his death.
Grieving Nina - 29 today - said: "We
have been told by the Army that Luke died in action.
"The Colonel from his barracks came
around to our house to tell us he was not executed. Luke's Land Rover was
ambushed and he died instantly.
"The Colonel told us he was doing
what he could to set the record straight. We are very angry.
"It makes a big difference to us
knowing that he died quickly. We can't understand why people are lying
about what happened.
"It must be a mistake. It's important
to us that people know the truth. That people know what really
happened."
VICTIM: Luke
Nina was stunned when she heard the
PM had gone on TV to denounce the "executions" of Sapper Luke, 24, and
Staff Sgt Simon Cullingworth, 36.
Mr Blair, speaking in America,
condemned gruesome footage of the dead soldiers shown on Iraqi TV as an
act of cruelty beyond comprehension.
Describing the images as a "reality"
of Saddam Hussein's regime he said: "His thugs prepared to kill their own
people, the parading of prisoners of war, and now the release of those
pictures of executed British soldiers...
"If anyone needed any further
evidence of the depravity of Saddam's regime, this atrocity provides
it.
"It is yet one more flagrant breach
of all the proper conventions of war.
"More than that, to the families of
the soldiers involved, it is an act of cruelty beyond comprehension.
Indeed, it is beyond the comprehension of anyone with an ounce of humanity
in their souls."
The PM added: "On behalf of the
British Government, I would like to offer my condolences particularly to
the families and friends of those two brave young men who died in the
service of their country and of the ordinary Iraqi people to whom we are
determined to bring a better future."
But last night Nina said at the
family's home in Dagenham, Essex: "I have not been able to watch the TV
reports or listen to the Prime Minister talking of an execution.
"It's so upsetting. And it's not what
happened to Luke."
Later Mr Blair refused to give
further details of what he knew about the soldiers' deaths.
Pressed by reporters about his claim
they were executed, he would only say: "The reason I used the language I
did was because of the circumstances that we know."
Respected TV political editor Adam
Boulton was one of those who quizzed Mr Blair at Camp David over his
claim.
He commented on Sky News last night:
"Whether it was wise for the Prime Minister to use a word like 'execute'
without being entirely sure only time will tell."
Mr Blair's official spokesman later
admitted there was no conclusive proof that the soldiers had been
executed.
He said: "It is a terrible thing to
talk in these terms, but since we don't have the two bodies we can't be
absolutely sure.
"But every piece of information we
have points in the direction of these men having been executed in a very
brutal fashion.
"It includes the fact that the two
bodies were found some distance from the vehicles in which they were
travelling and had lost their protective equipment, flak jackets and
helmets. It does point in that direction."
A spokeswoman for the MoD agreed that
it was likely the soldiers had been executed. She said: "They were found
without their protective equipment, which suggests they could have been
executed."
But Iraq strongly denied the claim.
Information Minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahaf accused Mr Blair of twisting
the truth.
He said when Iraq released pictures
of the soldiers "the situation became tense in Britain because the British
Prime Minister lied to the public".
He added: "To launch a psychological
war on us he said, 'You have executed (them)'.
"We haven't executed anyone.
They are either killed in the
battlefield or the rest are captured."
Iraqi TV showed the dead soldiers
lying on their backs near their vehicle. One appeared to have been shot in
the chest while the other's wounds were unclear.
British military commanders were
"shocked and appalled" by the graphic images. The commander of
UK forces in the Gulf, Air Marshal
Brian Burridge, described the decision to show them as "deplorable". He
added: "All media must be aware of the limits of taste and decency."
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TRAGIC: Simon
Sapper Luke and Staff Sgt
Cullingworth were members of 33 Engineer Regiment - a bomb disposal unit
of the Royal Engineers based at Carver Barracks, Wimbish, Essex.
They were killed after their Land
Rover was ambushed in the border town of Safwan, Southern Iraq.
Their role was to clear mines laid by
the retreating Iraqi army. They were on their way to join colleagues
sweeping for booby traps when they were attacked.
Staff Sgt Cullingworth and his wife
Allison had been married for almost 10 years. They have two sons - James,
nine, and three-year-old Jack.
The popular soldier had been on tours
of duty in other trouble spots, including the Balkans and Afghanistan.
Sapper Luke had not seen action before, although he had served in Kenya
and Cyprus.
Last night his long-term girlfriend
Katie was being comforted by family and friends.
Sister Nina recalled last night how
their mum, Christine, who died of cancer seven months ago, always called
him her "little soldier".
Luke's step-father Michael Pawsey
said: "The Army brought his wonderful character to the fore.
"Before signing up a couple of years
ago, he was a car mechanic and glorified panel beater.
"He loved everything about his new
job - the camaraderie and sense of achievement. The feeling that he was
serving his country.
"Going to the Gulf, he was doing what
he wanted to do. We are numb at the news. But so, so proud of him."
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