UK hostage Linda Norgrove 'killed by vest bomb'
Linda Norgrove

There were fears Linda Norgrove may have been sold on to an even more ruthless gang

US special forces in Afghanistan were seconds from rescuing a UK hostage when she was almost certainly killed by a suicide bomb vest, the BBC understands.

They had reached the building where Linda Norgrove was held and were "very, very close" to her, the BBC was told.

It is understood tribal elders negotiating her release asked Nato not to intervene so they had more time.

David Cameron has said it was "right to try" to rescue the 36-year-old aid worker from Lewis, Western Isles.

The prime minister said: "Decisions on operations to free hostages are always difficult, but where a British life is in such danger, and where we and our allies can act, I believe it is right to try."

'Grave danger'

BBC correspondent Nicholas Witchell said officials had confirmed Ms Norgrove was killed by an explosion, almost certainly a suicide vest.

He said: "Local tribal elders up in the area of eastern Afghanistan where she was being held - a very wild, lawless part of this country - had been attempting to persuade her captors to free her.

"And indeed [they] had asked Nato not to intervene militarily so they had time to try to secure her release."
Map of Afghanistan showing Kunar province The area where Ms Norgrove was killed was extremely remote

He added that Afghan security officials had become concerned about the group holding Ms Norgrove, as they were extremists with links to al-Qaeda and not from the mainstream Taliban.

"There was concern they might have moved Linda Norgrove across the border into Pakistan, which would have made any rescue operation by Nato completely impossible," he said.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said many people - including the Afghan government and their officials - had done "everything possible" to get the aid worker out.

A spokesman said on Sunday: "The operation realised that she was in grave danger and took the very difficult decision to try and save her life because her life was in great risk at that time."

The failed mission, which involved British officials in an advisory role, was authorised by Foreign Secretary William Hague, with Mr Cameron kept informed.

It is understood US rather than UK special forces were deployed because they had some knowledge of the terrain.

The top US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said the troops had done "everything in their power".

He said US troops' thoughts and prayers were with her family during this difficult time.

Ms Norgrove was seized in the province of Kunar on 26 September.

Dominic Medley, Nato spokesperson, " everything possible by so many people ... was done to get Linda out safe and secure and to rescue her."

Three local staff were also kidnapped when the two cars they were in were ambushed. The staff were released unharmed last week.

The Briton, who was employed by US aid group DAI, is believed to have been taken by her captors from village to village as British, Afghan and other intelligence agencies searched the remote area.

Ms Norgrove had been based in Jalalabad, where she supervised US-funded reconstruction programmes in the eastern region of Afghanistan.

'Devastating'

DAI president James Boomgard said the loss of a "beloved friend and respected colleague" was devastating.

In a statement, he said: "We are saddened beyond words by the death of a wonderful woman whose sole purpose in Afghanistan was to do good."

Ms Norgrove, who had travelled extensively, was an experienced aid worker who had worked in a number of countries.

She worked for the United Nations in Afghanistan and Laos and, prior to that, led a conservation and poverty reduction project in Peru.

DAI carries out aid work, often subcontracted by the United States Agency for International Development.

my prayers go out to the families,,,,such a shame

this is they treat people that are there to help them...

yes, this is how TERRORISTS treat those who are there to help the terrorized,,,

same thing, A typical muslim is a terrorist

we would be much more oppressed if that were true,,,,

well, we don't know how true it is because all we are the "peacefull" ones that are here...we can't say what we know about the billion others around the world...

another reason why racial and religious stereotyping is silly

regional and cultural debates seem much more prone to logical examiniation

I am sick of this crap. Terrorists are seeking refuge in the tribal region of Pakistan, and they are kidnapping American's and allied citizens and getting them over the boarder to Pakistan where we can do nothing. Plus the Taliban and AQ is being protected by the Pakistani ISI and parts of the military.

We need to give them an ultimatum that they have 48 hours to turn over ALL know AQ members and Taliban Members and commanders and all American and allies detained or were coming in and riding the tribal region of these terrorists once and for all.

Pakistan might Bi%^h and moan, but wont do much else. for those of you who are afraid because they are nuclear, we have been training for over 20 years to get in and secure ALL Pakistani Nuclear and nuclear weapons facilities in no time at all and Pakistan knows this. We have been afraid since the 80's that terrorists would take over Pakistan or infiltrate one of their Nuclear bases and have trained accordingly.

Such peace loving Muslims!!

nothing is full-proof...all they need is to get just one missle launched...you can threaten these folks all you want..dont you get it..?? THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF DYING...bullying them will solve nothing.

who said bullying? firebomb the whole country

ah, well, when you put it THAT way...you´ve solved all your problems..the scary part is that you are not kidding...

why would i be kidding?

Bullying them would only be giving them warning. I would bomb them without warning...to get the maximum effect.

Sounds like our military fricked up again. Ego killed her instead of allowing the locals some more time.

We could make our first move to over take their nuclear sites. We can do that if need be before we hit the Tribal Area, but our war is not with Pakistan. Hell we would be doing them a favor by cleaning it up for them, their under armed and under manned military is in a battle there now and badly need help.

Also Pakistan has signed a nuclear treaty where the will ONLY use their nukes if they get nuked first so I doubt that is even an issue. The issue is how the Pakistani Governmen could fall to the Taliban like Afganistan did.

We can't do that, they are nuclear and our allies would be beyond pissed at us. Now if we do it tactfully. Our only interest should be the tribal area's where the Taliban, TTP and AQ operate and have their safe houses.

More time and they would have killed her, they were getting ready to make a Daniel Pearl type video. I read they had the flag up and a video camera on a tripod. Seal Team 6 is the best in the world and if ANYONE could have saved her, it was them.

The tribal elders our NOT our friends.

EXACTLY! WE SHOULD JUST KILL THEM ALL AND DEFILE THEIR BODIES IN DEATH!