The mum of a North East soldier killed in Afghanistan says she can't let herself think his death was in vain as the Taliban takes control of Kabul.
Private John King, from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed in Afghanistan on December 30, 2011.
The 19-year-old, from Darlington, had been taking part in a partnered foot patrol with Afghan National Security Forces to increase security around the village of Llara Kalay, in the Nahr-e Saraj district of the Helmand province.
READ MORE: First Afghan evacuees arrive in UK after dramatic escape from Kabul
When members of the Afghan National Army came under fire from insurgents, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers moved forward to support them and Pte King was caught in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED), reports TeessideLive.
Despite the best efforts of medics at the scene, he was killed in action - one of 457 British personnel who died after NATO forces entered the country in 2001.
His parents, Barry and Karen King, say they haven't watched the news in years following the death of their son as it was too painful and raw.
While the families of some soldiers killed in the country say they feel their loved ones have lost their lives for nothing, the 53-year-old mum says she "can't think like that".
"We just know that he's died doing something that he absolutely loved and he actually saved lives," Karen said.
"It shouldn't have happened but he was trying to help the way of life for everyone else over there. He was working with the Afghan police when he lost his life.
"We've got no feelings on it now. The worst thing possible has happened to us, we just live each say as it comes.
"We pay tribute to him every year with the lads that were out there with him at Christmas around the time he died. It will be even more special this year as it will be 10 years."
On Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with Taliban fighters taking over the capital Kabul.
The hardline Islamist group has surged through the country following the withdrawal of US forces and British nationals are now being evacuated after the government they helped set up collapsed.
And Karen added: "Hopefully it is resolved one way or another but we feel for everyone who lost their lives out there.".
Paying tribute to her late son, she said he was the "life and soul of the party" who cared about everyone and lived life to the full.
"We are quite fortunate that we know how he was killed and what happened. We had six to eight months and then we could start to move forward knowing that he did everything right - it wasn't his fault," she added.
"It was an accident. He could have crossed the road back at home and been killed so at least he died doing something he loved."
Pte King joined the Army in 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North), commanded by the Danish Battle Group, in October 2011.
The Ministry of Defence said that as an infantryman on the front line Pte King played a pivotal role in the counter-insurgency campaign. He was also a friend to the local community and Afghan partners, especially the local police, who considered him a brother-in-arms.
Following his death, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Bradbury, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said: "Private King had been part of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment for a little over 18 months – but one of the busiest 18 months in the Battalion’s recent history.
"From early on he was able to fit in quickly through a combination of hard work, grit, a willingness to endure difficult conditions and an irrepressible sense of humour.
"Always the first to volunteer for anything, he was one of B Company’s characters: someone who could be found at the front at work or play, and was hugely popular as a result.
"His cheeky smile – no matter what we were doing – is the thing we will miss most of all."
British and US forces, as well as forces from other nations, are continuing to fly people out of Kabul airport, while viral footage of people climbing onto planes had been taken from the civilian side of the airport.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC Breakfast: "We put in over 600 forces yesterday, today and over the weekend to make sure that we can keep a secure part of the airport functioning and, at the same time, to effectively process, manage and escort people onto our flights to get them out of Afghanistan."
