The House remains empty, but no time away for the British Forces

Whilst MP’s are away from Parliament, our brave soldiers toil away in the heat, fighting to provide us with the security we know and love back here in the UK.  These soldiers risk life and limb daily, hence we have to do all we can to show our support back home.  BUT by questioning the aims, objectives, troop levels, equipment employed in theatre, we are NOT undermining our troops, we are strengthening their resolve by knowing we are doing all we can for them.  Hence, with so much media questioning, politicians being critical and army chiefs both publicly and privately questioning the war, the time has come for an emergency recall of Parliament.  Questions need to be answered and David Cameron & Liam Fox need to get answers to the questions listed below.

A price worth paying?

Number of British troops lost in Afghanistan to date:  204 and counting…… (Number of British troops lost in Iraq war:  179)

Deaths by Age in Afghanistan: 26 (16-20), 73 (21-25), 54 (26-30), 22 (31-35), 12 (36-40), 3 (41-45), 4 (46-50).

Deaths per year: 2006 39 dead, 2007 42 Dead, 2008 51 Dead, 2009 67 Dead…so far

Wounded: 94 British soldiers wounded in July 2009 (double the figure of June).

Wounded year to date: 236 so far (last year’s total was 235)

So David Cameron, please demand a recall of Parliament.  Let the Conservatives take the lead.  David if you are worried of being accused of undermining the troops….you are not.  What is undermining the troops is the lack of truth being told and the fact that the soldiers families are telling troops on the frontline of the debates in our media on a daily basis.  David, you can stop this and clear the fog up by seeking the re-call of Parliament.  The electorate would thank you for it and respect your judgement of helping the forces. 

So the questions David Cameron and Liam Fox should be seeking answers to from Brown & Ainsworth:

-    What are our current mission objectives in Afghanistan?   (These have to be specific & measurable, not vague rhetoric of stopping terrorists reaching UK or provide democracy to the region….it could be argued that bringing democracy to the region will be achieved through the elections this month…but we know that troops won’t be pulled out post these elections as the region is still unstable, hence why we need more specific objectives).)

-    When do we know when the mission goals have been achieved?  Again, have to be specific so people can judge if we are achieving them.

-    What is our exit strategy?   When is this estimated to be?  Do the Government agree that, as reported by a Leading Army General, Britain will need to be there for 30/40 years, in what capacity and what numbers?

-    Do the Government agree with President Karzai that the Taliban and terrorist groups should be brought to the negotiating table today?  Would the UK Government negotiate with the Taliban?

-    What successes have been achieved thus far in this campaign?  Is Operation Panther’s Claw a success as Sky News on the ground reports demonstrate an enemy that is still very well organised and able to attack at will.  Why was Panther’s Claw judged a success?

-    On election day, the terrorists will be planning a series of atrocities.  What contingency plans have been made to protect citizens and British Troops?

-    How can Britain and the USA ensure a fair burden of military operations with NATO in this campaign?  We know that NATO partners have token forces in presence and those that are there are placed in more remote areas of Afghanistan with less chances of direct conflict.  Why is the Government silent on this issue and allowing Brits & Americans to shoulder the main bulk of the military offensive? 

-    How has the Government reviewed whether military equipment used by soldiers is fit for purpose?  Why do military top brass criticise their equipment if it is fit for purpose??

-    Are their enough Army helicopters to get troops in and out of the theatre of battle quickly enough?  Can the Government see any evidence of troops entering the battle theatre in slow moving vehicles leaving them exposed to enemy attack?  Why did a now dead army soldier report back on video that US Soldiers were taking the piss out of British Military equipment for being so bad?  Is cost the key influencing criteria for issuing military equipment into the Theatre of battle?  If so, has cost led to any cutbacks of equipment thus far and in what?

-     Has opium production increased or decreased in Afghanistan in the past 12 months?  What evidence does the Government have when reports indicate Opium production has radically increased?

-     Has Taliban geographical control increased or decreased in past 12 months and will the Government map out their perspective of the locations of Taliban spheres of influence, (including that of Pakistan).

-     If there was a terrorist attack in the UK by Al Qaeda would that then signify a failure of mission objectives in Afghanistan?

-     How many terrorist attacks have been foiled by Scotland Yard in the past 2 years by groups linked to the Taliban/Afghanistan/Al Qaeda? 

-     How many terrorist sympathisers are being monitored/tracked in the UK at this current time?

-     How many people from Afghanistan & Pakistan entered the UK under a student visa and cannot currently be tracked?

It is clear, from an exclusive interview on Sky News with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a Mujahideen leader who was once the Afghan prime minister, now leads the Hezb-e-Islami political party and paramilitary group, that nothing short of US & British troop withdawel from Afghanistan is what they seek and this war will be long and bloody. Take a look here.  Hence, the need to answer questions if we are in this for the long term……

It is only fair that every citizen, particularly soldiers and their families, know and understand our objectives.  They risk their lives…it is the least we owe them.

It is not unpatriotic to ask these questions.  It does not undermine our armed forces.  It does not show a divided nation.

Lets recall Parliament and reinforce our objectives and support our troops and their families by answering these questions.  They deserve nothing less.

For those interested take a look at previous blogs and insights into this subject close to all our hearts:

Afghanistan: Why we ALL have a right to question our strategy   http://tiny.cc/R0p1d

UK Possesses 67 Apache Attack Helicopters: Guess how many are in Afghanistan?: http://tiny.cc/z6iFp

Lest we forget….A Tribute: http://tiny.cc/rrzfq

Bob Ainsworth…the man…a message: http://tiny.cc/2GA0K

The Blood on Gordon Brown’s Hands: http://tiny.cc/ltofZ

Obama shifts Tact….as TBB looks into Afghanistan home of drugs & legalised rape: http://tiny.cc/qnEPi

Afghanistan…Questions Gordon Brown must answer now: http://tiny.cc/ObHC6

What the hell are we doing in Afghanistan? Why the Silence?  It’s time for answers!: http://tiny.cc/yIpKM