Afghan battle is worth fighting
WHILE I very much doubt I can persuade PJS Waller (Your Views, March 8) of my views regarding the necessity of backing our forces in their campaign in Afghanistan and not calling for their withdrawal, plus describing their sacrifice as futile, I would like to elaborate further on the points I made, and comment on the response.
I am not just suggesting that today's forces are much better trained than National Servicemen were, I can state unequivocally that they are.
In the National Service era soldiers were often sent to war direct from "square bashing" and it is to their credit, and also a tribute to their bravery, that they coped as well as they did, most notably in Korea the so called National Service war.
I have recently witnessed, as a guest of both the RAF Regiment and the Parachute Regiment at their depots, the intense preparation prior to deployment on active service, and I stand by my comparison with other forces.
It is not entirely logical to state that because nations have failed in previous campaigns, that this will always be the case, and it is too early to tell what the result of the latest "surge" will be.
My remarks about withdrawal from overseas bases in the 1970s perhaps should have emphasised the haste with which this was carried out and the reasons for it, which may have contributed to our decline on the world stage. If we were to withdraw now from Afghan- istan, the Taliban would take over again. The terrorist safe havens would return from Pakistan, and our prestige as a nation would suffer a crippling blow.
Talks with moderate Taliban should only be undertaken from a position of strength, when the leaders might be convinced that they would be much better off backing the government.
I understand the Special Air Service is extremely good at such persuasion! As far as talks with the hardline members of the Taliban is concerned what could be the basis of talks? What might be negotiable?
Would we agree to allow just a percentage of women to be subjugated? Might agreement be reached on a small percentage of people to be tortured and killed either for revenge or to maintain a barbaric form of law and order? I do not think so, and at least sincerely hope not.
There may be some bereaved relatives who might support an unconditional withdrawal – I cannot envisage what else it could be if carried out so soon – but I am sure the vast majority will not, as I said before, wish to regard the war as a futile adventure that we could not succeed in for historical reasons.
I am also certain that nobody, other than a true saint, would regard the death of somebody who died while planting a bomb, as equally tragic as the death of a British soldier killed as a result of a bomb blast.
Mick Thompson
Byward Drive
Crossgates
Scarborough
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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