Yesterday the sudden shocking deaths of five British troops in Helmand got everyone thinking whether the strategy to train Afghan forces to eventually take over would work. If Afghan police can shoot their mentors dead, how can they trust each other to work together?
And today there’s another large question mark over this eight year occupation. The United Nations have said quite openly they are pulling out all but their 400 essential staff.
That’s not too shocking a development after five of their number were gunned down in a compound over a week ago. The UN would be considered perhaps foolish to have done nothing and insist the withdrawal is temporary until they can consolidate more secure accommodation than the scattered guest houses where their staff now stay.
But the impact of the announcement is huge: it means the biggest aid worker here is effectively leaving, for now.
Every other NGO must now re-evaluate their presence – how many people they have here, where they work, what they do, who they work with?
The effect on the aid community’s nerves – if not their actions – could be significant, and this is at a time when they are being pushed ever harder to boost the “civilian surge” of development and reconstruction that sits at the heart of the new, as yet unveiled but broadly discussed, NATO strategy.
In 48 hours: the military strategy, and the civilian strategy both take significant blows. And this is before the Obama administration have even announced their new troop levels.
In Iraq, in 2007, the violence, the sense of collapse, was worse just before the surge, and the slow change in atmosphere it brought. But Afghanistan is not Iraq. It’s not got a functioning society to look back to, just 30 years of war.
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If the UN is leaving Afghanistan, considering it a lost cause, what is the point in anybody else remaining there…?
Best to find other ways of combatting international terrorism, as we’ve already being saying…
Improved border controls for the UK would be good. Stuff Lisbon and Brussels…!
How exactly would improved border controls help the situation when all of the recent terror attacks in the UK have been perpetrated by British citizens?
The Taliban are obviously following a vert shrewed policy at exctly the right time. Add to this the US collateral damage and the irritation of being an occupied country and the effect on afghans and on the ROW is obvious. Lets get the people who COUNT in this mess around a table – the Taliban, the regional potentates, and some people on our side, but who know what they are talking about, the must be SOMEBODY who does! – and lets have some sensible talking about power sharing. And for heaven’s sake forget DEMOCRACY!
Having just watched another news bulletin I need to know why? Why> Why? are footballers being paid money that should be spent on looking after wounded soldiers who are treateed like something beyond the pale. Is it not time we got our priorities in order and looked after the people who matter eg soldiers and their families. Compare their accomodation to that of our MPs
If we are at war with afghanistan then the country needs to mobilise and prepare to send the necessary manpower every available armament in support.
If we are not at war(which we aren’t properly) we need to get the hell out of there
I am watchng the 7pm news, and on the question of troops in Afghaniostan, I have been shocked by the way in which the interviewer has just led the two parents who have lost sons. He tried to create the answers he wanted.
Why do we keep going round in circles?
How many times have we to debate how to clarify our reasons for being in Afghanistan.?
Brown made it clear that the intention was that we stay whilst we make progress in Afghanistising Afghan.
If progress is marred by persistent corruption by the police and Afghan military then we pull out.inl iasonship with America and Europe, How much clearer can that be?
The actual question is:-
How can we know ,when the levels of corruption are reduced, to a level which makes it safe for the governers to govern ethically, thereby protecting themselves and preventing violence and terrorist activities ?
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