The House of Commons of the United Kingdom on Wednesday directed its Home Ministry to start working to grant residential rights to British Gurkhas living in the UK.

The Home Affairs Committee of House of Commons sent a letter to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, instructing the latter to immediately initiate the process to grant the provision of residential rights to British Gurkhas and their family, according to a statement issued by British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen’s Organization (GAESO).

The committee, according to the statement, has drawn four separate conclusions concerning the residential rights of British Gurkhas, including the “government of UK to be grateful for the bravery and sincerity demonstrated by the British Gurkhas towards the British government and its people”.

Meanwhile, a British Gurkha soldier has been killed by enemy fire in southern Afghanistan, the latest military fatality in the violence wracked country, AFP reports.

The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, “was killed as a result of enemy fire (Tuesday) afternoon in the Musa Qala area, in Helmand province,” said UK’s Ministry of Defense statement Wednesday.

The unidentified British Gurkha soldier was taking part in a joint operation by NATO and Afghan forces against enemy forces to the south of Musa Qala.

Around 3,500 Gurkhas currently serve in the British army, and they are among the thousands of British troops serving war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some 200,000 Gurkhas fought in World War I and World War II, and more than 45,000 in total have died serving Britain. nepalnews.com Nov 06 08