The main justification offered by the Government for keeping troops in Afghanistan is rejected by the majority of British people, a new opinion poll for The Independent shows today. Four out of five of those questioned do not believe that British involvement in the conflict, with its rising toll of casualties, is keeping the streets of Britain safe from terrorist attacks.
In direct contradiction of the Government's position, almost half, or 46 per cent, of those surveyed held that the presence of British forces in the US-led war actually increased the threat of attacks in the country by creating anger and resentment among the Muslim population.
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Both the Labour government and the British Army are determined to continue the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. In yesterday's news in an interview with a British army commander it was stated that the army is accustomed to winning, not losing, battles and will see it through whatever the cost in lives and equipment. Gordon Brown, despite his comments on Afghan government corruption, has given his full backing to the war. Meanwhile support for the war among the public is fading away. It is increasingly felt that this is an unwinnable war.
Afghanistan has long been a "trouble spot", since the British conquest of India. The fierce tribesmen of the North West Frontier have often been a challenge for British troops and the Russians made a similar discovery when the Mujaheddin swept down from the Panjir Valley and harassed them, eventually obliging them to withdraw from the country and return home. This will also be the outcome of the present conflict. However much the allied troops attempt to ingratiate themselves with the Afghan public their efforts will come to nought as more and more innocent citizens, men, women and children are caught up in the battles and killed by allied bombing and Taliban suicide reprisals.
This unwinnable war will not end until the present government is out of office. It is in the interests of the Labour ministers to prolong it, as to withdraw now would be to lose face and admit defeat, and it diverts the attention of the British public from the sins of the administration and promotes "patriotic" feelings to a level not seen since the Falklands war (DAVID MILIBAND: "We are in Afghanistan because this is every bit a necessary war.") The general public is proud of its brave soldiers and does not see that they risk their lives for a lost cause. Britain is not under threat from the Taliban so much as from fanatical British Pakistanis who have spent time in the training camps of Al Qaeda. But more are questioning the reasons why their troops are there and why they went there in the first place.
The actions of British and American troops provoke and exacerbate a worsening situation and are an obstacle to a solution as more Afghan citizens yearn for an end to the conflict whosoever their rulers may be. The result of this debacle is that the war has spilled over into Pakistan and threatens to topple the government of that country, a nuclear state which could well go the way of Iran.
alanindyfed
See this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8349757.stm
and this: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2004/edesk020204.htm - "the spirit of Masoud...."
Addendum:
The recent shooting at Fort Hood in Texas highlights the serious problem of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). 20% of US soldiers returning from the war exhibit this in varying degrees and it is not readily noticeable, but can without warning flare up and result in previously normal and rational individuals perpetrating an incident such as the one at Fort Hood. Stress also results from conscripted soldiers being assigned to front-line duties in the Middle East against their wishes, particularly in cases of soldiers who are Muslims being required to fight against fellow-Muslims in circumstances such as the Afghan conflict. Soldiers are expected to obey orders and not to question motives or reasons for entering into conflict, but they are human beings, not automatons, and have complex emotional and psychological responses. The act of killing another human being and equally being a target for hostile fire can set up mental disorders which can psychologically maim and derail, resulting in trauma and possibly life-threatening actions.
alanindyfed
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