One of the most prominent figures in the British community in Afghanistan has been shot and killed in Kabul in an apparent robbery attempt.

Richard Adamson, 66, a former special forces commando who once helped the Mujahidin to fight the Soviet occupation, was murdered as he drove through the city yesterday afternoon in his Toyota four-wheel-drive car.

Mr Adamson was a manager for ArmorGroup, a British security company with 600 staff in Afghanistan. It has a contract to guard the American and British embassies in Kabul.

The company said last night that Afghanistan had lost one of its most loyal supporters. “Richard was a former Royal Marine warrant officer with 20 years’ service and had a wealth of experience working with humanitarian agencies in Africa,” said a spokesman for ArmorGroup. “His relationship with Afghanistan spans 20 years, during which time he learnt the Afghan languages and was respected by Afghans as a true friend to their country.”

Mr Adamson was travelling through the Macroyan neighbourhood of the city when the attack took place. He appeared to have been killed by a single shot through the window. It was reported that Mr Adamson was carrying $200,000 (£100,000) in cash at the time of his murder. Afghan police said that they were questioning two Afghan colleagues who were travelling with Mr Adamson. The motive appeared to be criminal: Kabul is in the throes of a crime spree, with armed robberies and assassinations on the rise.

Mr Adamson arrived in Afghanistan in the 1980s after being selected by Margaret Thatcher, then the Prime Minister, to lead a secret team to train Afghans in the use of American Stinger shoulder-held missiles. The anti-aircraft weapon was credited with turning the course of the ten-year war. The loss of Soviet aircraft, particularly helicopters, through the use of Stingers contributed to Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the country.

After he left the Armed Forces, Mr Adamson travelled and worked around the globe. In the late 1990s he was held hostage in Somalia. He had been working for an air logistics company in the town of Hargeysa when rebels kidnapped him.

An accomplished horseman, he crossed from Mexico to Canada on horseback in 1999 and co-authored an account of the trip called Riding the Outlaw Trail.

He returned to Kabul after the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001 and opened some of the first bars in the Afghan capital. His sons, Jamie and Ben, both in their thirties, joined him, helping to run Elbow Room, Kabul’s first lounge bar.

The bar closed last year after the landlord increased the rent on the property. Mr Adamson then opened a nightclub and restaurant called Samarkand, with Uzbek business partners. Samarkand has since closed as well, after a dispute with the Afghan Government.

Mr Adamson was married to Sasha, a Russian Uzbek in her thirties; his third or possibly fourth marriage. Despite his colourful background, Mr Adamson was described by friends as a quiet and gentlemanly figure. One told The Times: “He was one of the most honest men I have ever met. He was a complete British gent. I would never in one million years have thought he would do anything dishonest. He was a man of principle.”

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