A second Shropshire soldier has today revealed how he challenged Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth about the war in Afghanistan.

Mr Ainsworth came under fire from Stuart Trow at the Labour Party conference — just days after being grilled by bomb disposal hero Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes from Shropshire about a shortage of troops in Afghanistan.

Mr Hughes put the defence secretary on the spot midway through a tour of Helmand Province by calling for more troops to boost stretched frontline services.

Mr Trow, who lives in north Shropshire, lost part of his leg after being shot three times while serving in Afghanistan.

He said today: “We had a question time debate and I sat next to Bob Ainsworth and I told him that he wasn’t getting true feedback because of who he was.

“I told him people were constantly telling him what he wanted to hear and interestingly enough he has gone out to Afghanistan and a soldier’s ripped into him and that soldier is also from Shropshire.”

The two incidents highlight the growing rift between the armed forces and ministers on Afghanistan. And it comes after US General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, said he supported calls for reinforcements during a visit to London last week.

He said troops would be able to achieve their objectives more quickly with fewer casualties, and argued: “We can start winning the psychological battle.”

Mr Trow was injured four weeks after being deployed to Afghanistan in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

The former SAS and Parachute Regiment member is due to climb Mount Kilimanjaro later this month to raise funds for Help for Heroes, which supports wounded British soldiers.

The father-of-two, who also served in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, said he would struggle physically to complete the challenge.

But he said he was determined to get to the top to raise as much money as he can for Help for Heroes and that the climb was his way of giving something back.

By Wayne Beese and Deborah Collins