[Sleedyhex]

That missing British soldier has been found dead.

A member of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was snatched and executed by the Taliban yesterday after he inexplicably wandered off alone from a remote checkpoint in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier, Highlander Scott McLaren, 20, was reportedly shot in the back of the head and had other wounds.


Victim: Highlander McLaren, 20

Abdul Ahad Helmandwal, a local elder, said Highlander McLaren was grabbed by insurgents near the village of Kopak and killed a short distance away.

He said: 'They took his body to show the other Taliban that they had killed a British soldier. The other Taliban kicked the body and they threw him in the canal.'

But General Sayed Malook, commander of Afghan forces in Helmand, claimed Highlander McLaren drowned going for a 2am swim in the nearby Nahr-e Bughra canal.

He said the abuse happened after locals pulled the body from the canal: 'When they found the body the Taliban in the area started trampling on him, stabbing him and even shot him.'

But senior UK defence sources dismissed the claims. They said Highlander McLaren had 'died of two gunshot wounds', including one to the back of the head that indicated he was executed.

One insider cast doubt on the suggestion he had gone swimming: 'Who'd go for a dip in the middle of the night on their own in an area littered with IEDs?'

His commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Alastair Aitken added: 'He was a man with a big heart and a true friend to many. He was trusted by all and had a heart of gold.'

Major James Cross, Officer Commanding D Company, said: 'Highlander McLaren's death has come as a huge blow to all of us who have had the privilege of serving alongside him.'

Lieutenant Colonel James de Labilliere, commanding officer of Combined Force Nahr-e-Saraj (South) and 1st Battalion, The Rifles, said the soldier had been tasked with 'some of the most demanding' work during his month-long attachment.

Captain Callum MacLeod, Officer Commanding Fire Support Group and Multiple Commander, D Company, said Highlander McLaren was the perfect example of 'what makes a Scottish soldier great'.

'He was cool under pressure and unrelenting in the face of the enemy,' the senior officer said.

'The Multiple has been robbed of a friend, and the Battalion of a talent that was only just beginning to shine.'


Under guard: Flanked by British soldiers and security staff, Mr Cameron undertakes a walkabout at Camp Bastion

The incident happened on the very day that British Prime Minister David Cameron made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Cameron was told of the news minutes after arriving in the country.

The soldier's death is the 375th British military fatality in the Afghanistan War.

Read more: Scott McLaren: British soldier 'paraded in front of Taliban chiefs' after killed by insurgents | Mail Online