THE family of Rifleman Daniel Wild told last night how their son’s tragic death had changed their view of the war in Afghanistan.

Rfn Wild, of Easington Colliery, County Durham, died a hero after giving his life trying to save a fallen comrade in southern Afghanistan.

Last night, his mother, Laura Laws, and stepfather, Alan Simmons, spoke of their pride at his courage and urged the whole country to get behind British troops fighting to bring peace and stability to Helmand province.

They said his death had opened their eyes to the conflict and reaffirmed their belief that there should be no pull-out by British troops until the job is done.

Mr Simmons, 55, told The Northern Echo: “At first I didn’t agree with the war. We didn’t want Daniel to go, but we accepted that it was what he wanted to do. He knew the risks and we supported him.

“We need to support the boys out there and help them in any way we can. They can help sort out the problems in Afghanistan.

“Up until Daniel’s death, I didn’t think we should have anything to do with the war. I didn’t know it had been going for eight years.

“But I spoke to a lot of people at RAF Lyneham on Tuesday and they have changed my mind.

“They told us a lot about what they were doing, which we didn’t know before. It has changed the way we thought about the war.

“There have been a lot of young lives lost, but they are doing a good job.

“If they can clear the way for this election to go ahead then it is definitely a good thing.”

Rfn Wild, who was 19, and Captain Mark Hale, both of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, were carrying a wounded colleague to a helicopter landing zone when they were caught in a bomb blast.

The young soldier was less than two weeks away from coming home when he died last Thursday.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, on Tuesday to pay their respects to Rfn Wild, Capt Hale and Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, of Haxby, near York, after their bodies were flown back to RAF Lyneham.

Mr Simmons said: “We didn’t want a hero and I told him that only last week, but it is exactly what we have got now.

“We are so very proud of him and we miss him very much.

“He will never be forgotten and will always be loved.

“This is what he always wanted to do and no one could change his mind.

“He always put other people first, and that was what he was doing when he died. He cared for his other colleagues before himself.”

Rfn Wild, who joined the Army in 2007, trained at ATR Bassingbourn, near Cambridge.

He joined the 2nd Battalion The Rifles in May last year, and was sent to Afghanistan in March.

Mr Simmons said: “He definitely saved lives of other people while he was out there.

“We didn’t want him to go, but we are going to have to deal with it now.”

Rfn Wild’s parents spoke out as another wave of attacks killed at least six Afghan election workers across the country, on the eve of the presidential elections.

The killings came a day after more than 20 people lost their lives in incidents across the country, including a suicide blast in Kabul, as the Taliban carried out their threat to disrupt today’s election.

Eight British soldiers have died in the past week, taking the death toll for this month to 13, and the total number of personnel lost since operations began in October 2001 to 204.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised to press ahead with the mission in Afghanistan, despite the rising death toll.