The Ministry of Defence has named the soldier killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday. He was Lance Corporal James Ashworth from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and was only 23 years old.
Yesterday another soldier was killed. He was from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and has yet to be named.
Since 2001, when this war began, 419 UK military personnel have been killed and countless civilians.
David Cameron's policy is to keep a military presence in Afghanistan - for an unspecified number of years - to 'mentor the Afghan military'. I wonder if he's read this. Living and working in such an atmosphere every day for months must place considerable stress upon these soldiers. Is it any wonder cases of PTSD are rising rapidly?
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8 comments:
Another sad, senseless, supreme sacrifice by a member of our Armed Forces.
Politicians too ashamed of 'losing-face' to simply do one more U-turn to reverse their policy.
"We're there to fight terrorism(?)"
OK - why not bring all our troops home now to be our 'Border Force'. They'd be a damn sight more effective than the farcical Immigration Service, and simultaneously eliminate their risk of assassination.
And think how many £billions that'd save the Treasury.
What you have here is an old story being replayed once more. There is no clear cut route to success, but on the other hand, they can extend, even postpone, the kind of embarrassment of finally having to admit that they cannot win, and will ultimately lose.
So out comes the hoary old bromide of needing to help the Afghans defend themselves from the Taliban. In truth what Cameron doing, is quite deliberate, a hope that he can delay it, just long enough that the UK can leave and declare victory, or hopefully pass it off to someone else to deal with after the election.
The tragedy is that more young men will die, heaped upon the graves of other young men for no other reason, that they cannot admit they had been wrong, nor can they admit to being aware of the uncomfortable truth that there is no such thing as a democratic state of Afghanistan to protect in the first place. This is all being done in the name of domestic party politics, and also to cover over the debacle that came with subordinating the UK's foreign policy to the US government.
Another sad loss of life. How many more will die or be injured ( on each side ) before we officially hand power back to the Taliban ?
The solemn statements from the PM at PMQ's when he announces the weeks casualties are quickly followed by laughing and jeering and point scoring over trivial events.
This is what the young lad died to defend ? Totally disrespectful.
Cameron hasn't had the approval of Obama yet Joe. The US isn't interested in our financial position.
It's a sad old story Itsheresomewhere.
I think Cameron realises that winning isn't possible, hence his latest policy that our troops will stay to mentor the Afghan forces and police. An excuse to save face and hope that the people will forget about the military over there.
Oh RM, I feel like screaming when the platitudes drip off tongues at PMQs.
Rosie,
From today's Mail on Sunday here and here. Any future involvement in foreign wars should be limited to our Special Forces and supporting arms. And Enoch Powell's views on the "Special Relationship" are truer than ever.
Thanks for the links Brian. Few folk have any concept about the work of the SAS and I suppose rightly so, but they deserve an enormous amount of thanks from us all, because without them we'd be in Queerer Street.
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