THE mother of a Gwent soldier who was the 200th British serviceman to lose his life in the Afghanistan war is today calling for the troops to come home.

Hazel Hunt, from Abergavenny, lost her 21-year-old son Private Richard Hunt in August 2009 after he was fatally injured in an explosion near Musa Qala. He died a few days later at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Mrs Hunt said she thought the British Army’s job had been to bring some form of democracy to a troubled land, but now believes the situation is just “going round in circles” after hearing Afghan president Hamid Karzai does not want to give women rights.

President Karzai gave his blessing to a ruling by the Afghan religious council which says women and men should not mix in school, work or other aspects of daily life.

Mrs Hunt said: “I don’t see how we’re any further forward.

I thought our job out there was to bring some form of democracy and apparently he wants to keep women underfoot.”

She said troops are having to start going into dangerous areas again, and are having to rely on luck to come back unharmed.

But she said: “Luck only goes so far – you can’t win a war on luck. I just want them home now.”

Mrs Hunt said she did not feel like this when Pte Hunt was sent to Afghanistan, and even when he died, as she wanted to support her son but said things changed six months after his death.

During the month in which Pte Hunt died, a total of 19 British servicemen lost their lives in the Afghan war and there are around 9,500 troops serving in Afghanistan at the moment.

The death of six soldiers last week in an incident very similar to the one in which Pte Hunt lost his life brought it home to her – the UK death toll nowstands at 404.

Mrs Hunt said 28 troops have now been killed by improvised explosive devices in Warriors.

Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster Regiment, Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, Private Anthony Frampton, 20, Private Christopher Kershaw, 19, Private Daniel Wade, 20 and Private Daniel Wilford, 21, all of 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, were killed in the deadliest single enemy attack on UK forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

Mrs Hunt said the news was a huge shock.

“It was awful, especially to hear how young they were.

It brings everything back regarding your own situation,”

she said.

Mrs Hunt said: “I feel desperately sad for these families that have to go through it but giving them support will help.

“It’s a god awful feeling that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

She said it will also have a great impact on the troops still out there.

“There are going to be 20 to 25 per cent of them coming back with post traumatic stress disorder at some point,” she said.

Mrs Hunt, who has raised £130,000 since 2009 for veterans and injured troops through the charity The Richard Hunt Foundation, is calling for a rehabilitation centre to be created inWales and hopes to get the support of the Welsh Government.

Mrs Hunt said: “It makes me angry that we haven’t got one of a decent size.”

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Government said: “We have not been approached by Mrs Hunt to date but we would be happy to meet her.”