Former commander of US forces in Vietnam dies at 91

GENERAL William Westmoreland, who commanded US troops in the Vietnam War, has died aged 91.

Gen Westmoreland died on Monday night from natural causes at a retirement home in Charleston, South Carolina, said his son, James Ripley-Westmoreland.

The jut-jawed officer, who rose through the ranks quickly in Europe during World War II and later became superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, contended the US did not lose the conflict in Southeast Asia.