'Tasteless': Defence Secretary's fury at Taliban video game where players shoot dead British soldiers

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has slammed a computer game which allows players to kill British troops as a Taliban insurgent as 'tasteless'.



Mr Fox called for the game to be banned and said the idea of recreating Taliban attacks on allied soldiers was disgusting.



The latest version of the Medal of Honor game, published by Electronic Arts, allows gamers to opt to play the role of insurgents in a multiplayer mode and receive points for killing allied soldiers.

Scrapped: Electronic Arts has dropped plans to allow players to take on the role of a Taliban fighter and kill US troops in the 'Medal of Honor' video game (pictured)

It has already enraged many in the U.S. who believe it is insensitive to soldiers involved in the real conflict and those who have lost loved ones in Taliban attacks.

Mr Fox told The Sunday Times: 'It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban.

'At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands.



'I am disgusted and angry. It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game.



'I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product.'



Backlash: The Taliban option has been scrapped following protests from politicians and families of troops in Afghanistan

Combat: Players using the multiplayer version of the game can choose whether to fight as Allied soldiers or the Taliban

Fury: Mr Fox has called on retailers to ban the game and said it is 'un-British'

The game, which has been given an 18 certificate, is likely to provoke a further backlash when it goes on sale in the UK in October.



The company defended its position, saying that someone always has to take on the role of the enemy in combat games.



Amanda Taggart, a spokeswoman for Electronic Arts, said: 'The format of the new Medal of Honor game merely reflects the fact that every conflict has two sides.



'We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Most of us have been doing this since we were seven: someone plays cop, someone must be robber.



'In Medal of Honor multiplayer, someone's got to be the Taliban. Nobody who plays video games is going to be shocked or surprised by this.'



It comes after hundreds of parents slammed Activision's game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year after players could take part in the massacre of civilians at an airport as part of the game.



The controversial scene involved the player acting as an CIA agent who has infiltrated a Russian terrorist group which is involved in a gun attack on an airport. In order to protect his cover, the agent can choose to join in the shooting.