What the hell are we doing in Afghanistan? Why the silence? It’s time for answers!
Posted on July 10th, 2009 in Foreign affairs, Politics | 7 Comments »
As I sat down for lunch, I switched on the news. More soldiers bodies arriving from Afghanistan. More lives lost. More families devastated.
This got me thinking. What is our remaining mission in Afghanistan? What is the exit strategy? What is the timescale? It then dawned on me that I couldn’t answer the question….and obviously neither can this Government.
Coupled with this war with no deadline is that our brave armed forces are being asking to risk their lives with inferior equipment….old equipment, jeeps with no armour. What sort of nation asks it soldiers to lay down their lives with, what is in effect, ‘bows & arrows’! This may seem extreme but surely worthy of a national discussion and a review. We know military top brass are unhappy with their equipment…yet we have the Government pinning we have the best equipped forces in the world.
The War in Afganistan must transcend politics. We need to understand as a nation whether we have the right equipment in place to protect our troops. And if there is a need for investment in the best equipment with the best armoured protection….be it tanks, vehicles, air support eg helicopters, we need to do it. Would any of the Cabinet say that they would be happy fighting and risking their lives with the current level of equipment provided? Would they risk their lives? Then why ask that of our forces?
Also we need to ensure that NATO members play their full role in this war. French, German, Spanish soldiers. Russia must also play their part as a radicalised region is a threat to all.
So our military goals…yes the statement to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan is worthy and we all want to see this. But what does that look like? How long will that take? How many lives be lost fighting for that goal? How many more soldiers will die?
Yes Afghanistan and Pakistan are the breeding grounds for terrorism…yes Osama Bin Laden needs to be brought to justice. Yes the sooner we see the end to Al Qaeda the better…..but let’s also be realistic, especially with our armed forces and their families.
Just as quickly as our brave men destroy Taliban units and kill Al Qaeda terrorists, new cells take their place. It is an unending viscous circle. Even in the UK we know of communities being radicalised to fight within. That is the root and cause of this. There is a neverending stream of radicalised young men and women prepared to give their lives for their cause.
So if new terrorists / fighters replace those who are fallen, this could go on for years and years. This becomes a new ‘Vietnam’, the war that is unwinnable.
This does not mean we pull the troops out. I am not a pacifist. But just someone who wants to understand and get some answers from this Government. This means Gordon has to answer the above questions. If our soldiers are prepared to die….they should be told what they are dieing for…..and for how much longer!
This is not an issue that can be brushed under the carpet until after the next election.
7 Responses
A war with no goals is indeed dangerous and utterly futile.
I served in the army. I am glad I dont at the moment in time. Friends currently serving tell me horror stories of the equipment they are using. Rifles that jar when firing. Tanks that are not serviced. Unprotected jeeps. It is a national disgrace that brave men and women are willing to die for this country but for what.
What respect?
What honour?
What honesty? You are right to question when this war will end. Martyr dies. Martyr replaces them. A long line of people ready to fight against our army. We are years away from a solution. Lets hope that we are not years away from honesty.
Lets stop debating the private/public enquiry on Iraq. Lives are being lost NOW in Afganistan, whilse politicians turn their heads and the national media does not question. Why die for such an uncaring country?
I think that the issue should not be the preserve of the USA & Britain alone, with the help of local Afgans.
This is a NATO issue. Troops from France, Germany, Spain should fight side by side.
And added to that Russia.
Last thing the world needs is a radicalised region.
BTW The number of British troops who have died in the conflict now stands at 178.
That’s the blood of 178 soldiers on the conscienece of this government…for what? The Taliban controls more of the land than before…and now control parts of Pakistan. Opium production in Afganistan is up. And new recruits to the Taliban are up.
Where’s the level of success there?
A disgrace.
With 70% of the worlds heroin being grown in Afganistan that helps fund the Taliban the British Army must surely remain in the country. However we are there under the auspices of NATO and as such where are all the other NATO country’s forces? The US & UK armies are on the front line with casualties to match. This country needs to be kept free of radical Islam otherwise it will spread to Pakistan, and elsewhere. potentially dragging the region into a terrible conflict – with nuclear weapons.
The Labour Govmt’s contempt of the British Armed forces is so blindingly obvious but yet they expect people to do their jobs without the right tools. Someone should tell GB and his cronies that giving a soldier the wrong equipment is a matter of life and death!
Thanks for sharing Army Man…especially as you know have the experience of serving and have friends out in the theatre.
Sad days.
I am 100 % behind the armed forces…I just think everyone needs some answers. If we will be in Afghanistan for years and expect heavy casualties…tell us. Tell us what our objectives are? tell us how we are judging whether we are achieving our goals. Tell us of our exit strategy. We know that terrorists are training to come and cause attrocities on our home soil….but we also need our armed forces and their families understanding a lot more about why they are fighting.
Sad and overbight we hear of another 5 losing their lives…..no end in sight
Totally agree with you Rusrec. frightening that Afghanistan is the heroin capital of the world….and production is going up…how can that be with our troops all over the country.
The Taliban are clever fighters who constantly change their tactics. I hear of stories of Taliban vacating villages, then when the Alliws deem a village safe they move on and then the Taliban come back and move back into the village…hence constantly moving and shifting.
We never hear of soldiers complaining about putting their lives on the line but when they do so with less than state of the art equipment, then it is us that needs to be ashamed. and it seems that the armed forces are under invested and it’s equipment is letting them down on the front line of battle.
We need a national discussion on this issue.
Hello and thank you.
The thing that interests me is that nobody has given what I see as a convincing reply to why are we in Afghanistan and if we have a goal when will it be all right to leave.
I appreciate the bravery of our armed forces but that is not an issue. The Taliban are brave.
The heroin has increased but when the Taliban were in power they greatly decreased the opium crop.
Many Taliban supporters are really opponents of the government which is seen as corrupt, they are also supporting the independence of their ethnic group. This is a traditional tactic.
I totally agree that many things in Afghanistan are undesirable but by engaging militarily on the side of a government widely seen as corrupt we are in an ambiguous position.
It is basically nonsense to believe that we are saving England from terrorism. Most of the terrorist plots originate in Pakistan or Yorkshire. I do not know of any that originate in Pakistan.
Since the Second War when have the Americans ever been right on foreign policy.
A quick summary.
They lost China.
They failed in Vietnam and inflicted massive suffering especially on the people of Cambodia.
They supported the Shah and made themselves widely disliked in the Middle East.
They failed to rein in Israel.
The supported Islamic Militants in Afghanistan.
Their tactics in Iraq helped fuel the civil war and the insurgency.
And now….?
I am not anti american on prinicple but what have they got right?