Afghanistan
I have recently returned from Afghanistan which I visited with colleagues from the Defence Select Committee. As on my previous visits it was a privilege to witness the professionalism and dedication of our soldiers. My thoughts are very much with those who will be away from family and loved ones at Christmas. Our thoughts are also with those who have lost loved ones as a result of the conflict and our presence there. While I was there it was Afghans themselves who constantly referred to the sacrifice of our personnel. As you can imagine a major focus of our discussions was the increasing frequency of insider attacks. To think that our soldiers are at risk from the very people they are there to mentor is chilling. No wonder many people ask why we are still there and why don’t we take our soldiers out of harm’s way right now. We must remember though that Afghans themselves are the victims of insider attacks. We don’t know for certain the cause of these attacks but certainly the Taliban are quick to exploit them to cause chaos and lower morale at a time when they are failing to make anything like as much impact as they used to in straight combat. We look forward to our troops coming home in 2014 and indeed before my visit I was coming to the view that it should be sooner. However I was reassured by three things:
Firstly, an ever faster withdrawal is taking place of soldiers taking part in patrols leaving this to the Afghan Army. Secondly I was appraised of the coherent plan in place for the managed withdrawal of combat troops. Cutting this short could put at risk achievements in the political, governance and development spheres. Lastly there is a firm commitment to provide funding for security and development well into the future. We will not stand by and watch the progress that has been made on human rights and democracy taken backwards.
Sandra Osborne MP
I have recently returned from Afghanistan which I visited with colleagues from the Defence Select Committee. As on my previous visits it was a privilege to witness the professionalism and dedication of our soldiers. My thoughts are very much with those who will be away from family and loved ones at Christmas. Our thoughts are also with those who have lost loved ones as a result of the conflict and our presence there. While I was there it was Afghans themselves who constantly referred to the sacrifice of our personnel. As you can imagine a major focus of our discussions was the increasing frequency of insider attacks. To think that our soldiers are at risk from the very people they are there to mentor is chilling. No wonder many people ask why we are still there and why don’t we take our soldiers out of harm’s way right now. We must remember though that Afghans themselves are the victims of insider attacks. We don’t know for certain the cause of these attacks but certainly the Taliban are quick to exploit them to cause chaos and lower morale at a time when they are failing to make anything like as much impact as they used to in straight combat. We look forward to our troops coming home in 2014 and indeed before my visit I was coming to the view that it should be sooner. However I was reassured by three things:
Firstly, an ever faster withdrawal is taking place of soldiers taking part in patrols leaving this to the Afghan Army. Secondly I was appraised of the coherent plan in place for the managed withdrawal of combat troops. Cutting this short could put at risk achievements in the political, governance and development spheres. Lastly there is a firm commitment to provide funding for security and development well into the future. We will not stand by and watch the progress that has been made on human rights and democracy taken backwards.
Sandra Osborne MP